


Key to the Heart

by EmJ93



Series: The Companion!Ariela Universe [1]
Category: Pillars of Eternity
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, eventual fake dating, featuring Ariela but not as a Watcher
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2019-10-25 22:46:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 25,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17734088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmJ93/pseuds/EmJ93
Summary: When Aloth meets a former travelling companion halfway across the world from where he last saw her, he doesn't expect her to ask if she can help him out in his efforts against The Leaden Key, and yet he can find no meaningful reason to turn down her help.But between research, hunting down cultists, saving a town, and infiltrating animancy operations, will they have time to notice their budding romantic feelings for one another? Will masquerading as lovers help them or hinder them in this regard? Or will Iselmyr finally lose her patience with the pair before they ever figure it out?





	1. Unlikely Re-Acquaintance

**Author's Note:**

> At long last, here comes the thing I've occasionally been referring to as my "companion!Ariela fic" on tumblr!  
> Hoping to update this weekly/fortnightly, but this is only my second ever attempt at any sort of multi-chapter "long fic" for any fandom, so please bear with me a little as I try to find a writing schedule that works!

 He wasn't entirely sure which part of the occurrence was stranger, Aloth mused, as he scanned the crowded tavern for a private corner in which to sit; that he suddenly realised that he could very clearly see Ariela, one of the other companions that had accompanied him during his time travelling with The Watcher back in the Dyrwood, sitting alone at a table in the corner of the room, halfway across the world from where he would have expected her to be; or that nobody else around them seemed to notice her presence at all. 

 She had her eyes fixed on the pages of a book- some kind of romance or adventure novel, he assumed, based on what he remembered of her reading habits- chewing on her lower lip thoughtfully as she read, completely unbothered by the noisy group of revelers that were standing unnecessarily close by her table. 

 The group itself paid no mind to her, one particular patron casually leaning against the tabletop as they chatted, seeimingly oblivious to the fact that someone was reading mere inches away from them. It could have just been that they were particularly rude, and that had been his first inclination, but as he noticed a human man from another group retrieve an empty chair from Ariela's table and drag it across the tavern without so much as looking in her direction, it occurred to Aloth that it was almost as if they couldn't see her at all. But he did. And though she was dressed more casually than he had ever seen her, with her hair longer than it had been when they'd parted, he was quite sure that he would recognise the kind lines of her face anywhere.

  _Oh, been memorising the lass' pretty face, have ye? Dinnae suppose that had owt to dae with that goodbye kiss she gave us?_

 He almost corrected Iselmyr, wanting to remind her that Ariela's parting peck to the cheek had been quite clearly intended for him, and not for the both of them, but it quickly occurred to him that that line of conversation would almost certainly only lead to more teasing at his expense. And, honestly, just because he'd managed to find some level of tolerance with Iselmyr taking up space in his head, didn't mean that he was comfortable with drawing her attention to just how often he'd reflected on that kiss, or on Ariela herself for that matter, over the last few years.

 Despite being a few years his junior, Ariela had always seemed so sure of herself during the time that they'd spent together. She'd been a constant champion of self-love, of being comfortable with oneself; encouraging both him and the others to try to accept parts of themselves that they never thought that they could. She'd pushed the group to try to be better every day; to try and have one positive thought about themselves, to try and help one other person with something that was troubling them, and would brighten darker days in which they were able to manage neither with a smile like sunshine, insisting that they'd merely have to try again the next day, reminding them that it was the trying that was the most important part. He wasn't sure that Ariela had ever faced decisions in her life in which the lines between what was right and wrong were blurred, or whether she would be as confident in the choices that she made if she were to, but he had certainly thought back on her words of wisdom over the last few years, as the decisions that he found himself facing had gotten more complicated, and the 'right' answer had become less and less clear, and had tried to emulate her absolute confidence as best as he knew how.

 Before Iselmyr could make any further comments, he started to move, dodging between bar patrons to make his way across the room towards the corner in which his friend was sitting, with her legs tucked up beneath her, leaned against the tabletop in such a way to angle her book towards the dim lantern in the centre of the surface. He noted the looks of confusion sent in his direction by a few members of the group that were crowded close by her table as they saw his approach, apparently still not having noticed her presence right in front of them, and wondering why an unfamiliar elf was making his way towards them.

 "Ariela?"

 She started at the sound of his voice, her eyes widening in shock as they tore away from the pages of her book and darted in his direction. One hand began to reach for the bag by her side, until her eyes focused on him properly, and a look of recognition passed over her face, as her body visibly relaxed once again. She tilted her head curiously, a slightly bemused expression finding its way across her features.

 " _Aloth_? How did you- never mind." Shaking her head slightly, she cut herself off. "You look good. You always looked good. Uh, I mean... _how are you_? It's been a while." Dragging her bag from the seat beside her, and carefully resting it by her boots on the ground, she gestured at the now-empty chair with a bright smile. "Would you care to join me?"

 At the sound of her voice, the person who was leaning against her table glanced back in her direction, an embarrassed expression creeping across their face as their eyes fell onto Ariela seemingly for the first time that night. Quickly straightening themselves, they moved a couple of steps away, ushering the rest of their group to an acceptable distance back, and giving the two Aedyrans some personal space. "Sorry about that, Miss, I didn't see you there. Could've sworn this table was empty."

 "That's quite alright," Ariela assured, as she tucked a folded sheet of parchment between the pages of her book to mark her progress, apparently completely unfased by the idea of no-one having noticed her before that very moment. "Happens all the time."

 She looked back up at Aloth, expectantly.

 "Yes, of course I'll join you." He dropped into the seat beside her, setting his drink onto the table in front of him, his eyes drifting briefly in the direction of the group of patrons that were now a few feet away, drinking and laughing as though nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. Still, it _had_ been strange. Why hadn't they-

 "They couldn't see me." Ariela's voice interrupted his thoughts, and he turned his attention back to her to find her watching him with a small smile playing on her lips. "If that's what you were thinking about? It's a little cipher trick I picked up from... well, you probably wouldn't remember her. I've been practicing it over the last few years. At first I was able to make people see me with a different appearance, and then I realised that if I'm to stay in one location, with a little concentration, I can make myself completely unnoticeable. It's been quite helpful, honestly."

 "Why wouldn't you want people to see you?" He frowned. He had a few ideas as to why he wouldn't want people to be able to see him, not having to worry about people potentially finding out about Iselmyr not least among them, but Ariela had always been very confident in who she was. It didn't seem like her to want to hide away.

 "I... um, visited home. Briefly." She averted her gaze in a very uncharacteristically timid manner. "Apparently several years isn't enough time to let bygones by bygones. It's probably alright, though. I haven't actually seen anyone following me since I left Aedyr."

 Aloth's eyes flickered quickly over her as the implication of her words sunk in, checking for anything that might be amiss about his friend. He remembered the story of how she had come to leave Aedyr the first time. How she was, quite frankly, lucky to be alive. "Are you alright? They didn't-?"

 "Oh! No. I'm _fine_. It's just better to be overcautious than dead, right?" She tried to force a laugh, trying to lighten the mood, he supposed, or to make light of the implications of what she had just said, but it didn't quite come off, and he noticed an uncharacteristic hardened look in her eye instead. "I'm... being dramatic, I'm sure. I just thought that it would be different. But, how about you? The last couple of years have been kinder to you, I hope?"

 She turned her attention back to him, the melancholy air about her melting way as her forest green eyes met his and she smiled brightly.

 "For the most part." He found himself mirroring her expression, her very presence apparently enough to make him want to smile. Dropping his voice as he elaborated, he leaned in closer to Ariela, hoping that the noise of the revelers around them might be enough to drown out his words should anybody else be listening. "Much of the last couple of years has been spent tracking down The Leaden Key; learning their methods more effectively, attempting to dismantle their operations, even putting an end to some of their smaller cells."

 " _On your own_!?" Ariela's eyes widened briefly in horror, then she dropped her voice to match his volume, face setting into a serious frown. "That sounds... _dangerous_. Have you been alright? That's a lot of responsibility to take onto yourself, all alone."

 She was right, he supposed, but it wasn't as though he could see any other way that he might have spent his time since parting from The Watcher. Someone had to put a stop to The Leaden Key's activities- or, at the very least, had to _try_ to- and he was certain that no-one felt the pressure to do so more than he. "I wasn't completely alone." He assured, hoping that he might be able to assuage her concern enough to bring back the smile that had brightened his night. "Iselmyr was glad to have the opportunity for a fight every now and again."

 "It does occur to you that Iselmyr doesn't _actually_ count towards you not being alone, yes? The pair of you share a body, darling, it isn't as though you can act separately." Ariela's frown deepened as her eyes began to scan his face, and then his body, and it occurred to him that she was assessing him for any lasting harm. Her eyes lingered briefly on a couple of areas; the locations, he knew, of scars that he had not had the last time that she had seen him. And then, even more suddenly than her frown had come on, it was gone, replaced by another bright smile. "How about _I_ keep you company?" 

  _If ye dinnae wan' her company, then I'd be happy tae-_

 "What?" He queried, attempting to ignore Iselmyr's outburst, as well as the series of lewd remarks about the young woman that immediately followed it.

 "Oh! I didn't mean to just invite myself along, or anything." Ariela's cheeks flushed, and she averted her gaze from his, as she added: "I just thought... well, I don't have anything else to do. And The Leaden Key are a formiddable foe for just one person alone. Perhaps you would benefit from a second pair of eyes and hands?" She glanced back up at him with innocent, pleading eyes that he couldn't help but think reminded him of one of the kittens that The Watcher had rescued back in the Dyrwood. "Even just for a little while?"

 He had a million reasons as to why that was a bad idea. He knew that he did. It was dangerous. It was his burden to bear. He worked better alone. 

 And yet, looking into Ariela's eyes, every single possible excuse seemed to die on his lips, and he found himself silently nodding along in approval of the plan, unable to think of a single thing that might prevent her from joining him on his mission.


	2. Good Food and Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Several months on from their meeting in the tavern, Ariela and Aloth have settled into a comfortable dynamic.  
> A friendly conversation over breakfast, and then it's back to business: they have The Leaden Key to stop, after all.

 She had nothing else to do. That was what she had said to Aloth, a few months ago when they had met by chance in a tavern, and he had told her of his quest to put a stop to The Leaden Key. 

  It wasn't true, of course. Though her attempts to return home and try to talk things out with her family had failed horribly almost as soon as they had begun, that didn't mean that she was a lost cause. In fact, if anything, since leaving her homeland for the second time, she had doubled down on the behaviour that had led to her being outcast from her family, and she had been quite content to drift from town to town, helping out those that she met with whatever problems they might have. She would try to make the world a better place by solving one problem at a time, she had vowed, whether anyone approved of her doing so or not.

  But, when it came down to it, she had been concerned about her friend. He had taken on a massive amount of responsibility, and from what she had gathered during her travels with The Watcher, The Leaden Key were not ones to be trifled with. He could quite easily land himself in deeper trouble than he could handle alone, and so she desperately did not want him to be alone for the rest of his travels. She'd batted her eyelids, and acted like she had no other pressing matters to attend to, worried that if she were to let on that it was merely her own uneasiness about his wellbeing that had prompted her interest in accompanying him, he might be stubborn about it and insist that she not join him. Thankfully, he had taken her at her word.

 It had not been the first time in Ariela's life that she'd found it easy to get what she wanted through charm alone, and nor had it been the last. Her natural charisma, in fact, had turned out to be rather helpful a number of times since she had begun tagging along with Aloth, for a variety of different reasons. Being so much less outwardly guarded than her companion, she had a tendency to endear herself to the hearts of those that she met, making it far easier to barter for better prices along their journey, gather gossip and information from the locals, and de-escalate the occasional barfight when Iselmyr decided that she was tired of their peaceful travels and endeavored to make things a little more interesting. 

 In the end, she was glad that she had asked to come along with him, Ariela mused, as she dropped into the seat opposite Aloth in the small booth that they had chosen for their morning meal, at the back of the common room of the inn. They made a good team. Between his knowledge of The Leaden Key's methods and her psionic abilities, they had found the perfect process for tracking down and infiltrating small Leaden Key cells, determining their motivations and unraveling their plans. It had occurred to her very early on that, actually, what they were doing together was not so far from her original goal. They were helping people, or trying to at least. And that was a good feeling.

 "The innkeeper didn't charge me for our breakfasts again." She remarked, before taking a sip of her tea and delighting in the taste of the honey that she had used to sweeten it. "I have a suspicion that he thinks you're cute. He was asking if we were a couple, but casually, you know? Like he was trying to seem like he wasn't too interested, but really he was." Aloth didn't even glance up from his book as she spoke, and she felt a slight smirk work its way onto her lips. "So, _naturally_ I told him that we were newlyweds, who wanted to travel the world after our recent marriage."

 That caught his attention, and Aloth's eyes snapped up from the thick tome in his hands, a horrified look on his face as his gaze landed on her. "You told him _what_?"

 She set the mug down on the table before her, giving him a brief chuckle. "Relax, darling, I was just joking. I wasn't sure if you were even actually listening to me."

 "I apologise, it wasn't my intention to appear as if I were ignoring you."

 "There's no need for apologies. Is that the same one you bought last week?" Ariela nodded in the direction of the book with a gentle smile. She already knew that it was, recognising the leather-bound tome that he'd been slowly working his way through. It was a series of essays on... something. She wasn't entirely certain. Still, he'd been losing himself in it at every given opportunity over the last couple of days, whilst they had been waiting for any sign of something suspicious to catch their attention, so she assumed that he must have been enjoying it. "I paged through it the other night when I couldn't sleep, but I'll admit, my understanding of magical theory is... well, more or less only what I've picked up from talking to you, honestly, so it might as well have been written in Engwithan, for how much of it I understood. Good read?"

 "Yes, it's quite fascinating." Aloth's face lit up with joy at her question, and he ran a hand affectionately over the cover of his book unconsciously as he responded. She liked seeing him look so carefree, even if it was for no more than a moment. It was a look that suited him. "It presents several new theories of particular interest, and could potentially be quite important in the development of future spells... But I wouldn't want to bore you with the details."

 "As if you could ever bore me!" Ariela grinned, reaching for her mug of tea once again. "I may not understand much of what's in the book, but I _do_ always feel like I'm learning something whenever you get excited over a particular topic."

 "Aye, and that sounds right boring!" Iselmyr announced, rolling Aloth's eyes dramatically, before the man himself re-emerged with a tired sigh. Ariela briefly wondered how often the pair had had this particular argument. "Well, perhaps Ariela actually sees the benefit in learning new things and expanding one's knowledge. _Unlike some_."

 "Now, now. There's no need to bicker." Ariela scolded, with her best attempt at a stern look. She suspected that the both of them could see right through it, but all the same, she attempted to maintain a serious expression until she'd finished her piece. Before she could open her mouth to voice her next thought, however, the smell of good food caught her attention, and she glanced in the opposite direction to see the innkeeper closing in on their table with two plates of breakfast food. Face melting into a wide smile, the words tumbled out of her mouth automatically. "Oh, that smells delicious!"

 "Well, I hope it lives up to your expectations!" The innkeeper remarked, cheerfully, as he began to set their plates down onto the table in front of them. He was a middle aged human, with short dark hair and a well groomed goatee, who Ariela had already determined was in no way suspicious or threatening. In fact, from what she had gathered from a very brief peak into his mind, the only reason she could figure that he was paying any particular attention to them at all was because of the small crush she suspected that he had on her friend. She couldn't help but notice the slight blush that began to form on his cheeks and the way his eyes lingered on Aloth as he added: "I'll be right over there if you... need anything. Anything at all."

 A familiar twinkle of Iselmyr's mischief began to flicker in Aloth's eye, but it was quickly pushed away, and his features reformed into a well-practiced aloof expression. "Uh. Yes. Well."

 Ariela bit back a giggle as her friend cleared his throat awkwardly and turned his full attention onto the plate in front of him, in the hopes of ending the conversation. She flashed the innkeeper a bright smile. "We will certainly let you know if we do. Thank you."

 The food was good, and the two of them tucked into their meals without so much as another word. In fact, it was only as she was finishing off the very last bite of her meal that Ariela finally broke the comfortable silence that had settled between them, nodding subtly in the direction of the stairs leading up to the rooms on the second floor. 

 "He's going somewhere." She informed, quietly. "But he doesn't have his bags."

 Ariela didn't need to give any more explanation than that, knowing that her friend would understand. There was, after all, only one 'he' that she would be referring to. The man was their entire reason for having been in this inn for the last couple of days, after all; a Leaden Key member who they had been following after their infiltration of the last cell that they had discovered. Communication between Leaden Key cells was rare, the organisation preferring a strict compartmentalisation of each group in order to keep information of their plans and goals safe from being discovered. And yet, they had witnessed this man be tasked with heading out to meet with another cell, for reasons that they did not yet know. Whatever those reasons might be, however, the pair had decided that the whole event was rare and interesting enough to warrant their attention, and so they had set out to find out what exactly was going on.

 "We should follow him." Aloth remarked, setting down his cutlery onto the empty plate in front of him. "He could be meeting up with someone else."

 "That's true." Ariela agreed. "But if he's out of the inn without his things, that means that his room is empty with his belongings still inside. There could be something in there that could tell us more about what he's doing. We could poke around. See what's to see?"

 "That's  _also_ a very valid course of action." Aloth nodded, his face beginning to twist into a complicated expression, as the two of them watched their target heading out of the front door of the inn, and into the busy town beyond. "We should decide quickly what we intend to do, before we lose sight of him, and miss our window altogether."

 They had mere moments to reach a consensus, Ariela knew, before there was no chance they would be able to pick up his trail in the busy town square outside. They had to think quickly.


	3. Divide and Conquer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ariela and Aloth decide to cover all of their bases on their investigation of the Leaden Key member they have been tracking. But was splitting up actually a good idea?

 Aloth wasn't entirely certain that they had made the best choice. He was thinking this to himself- for probably the hundredth time in the twenty minutes since he had left the inn- as he pretended to browse the wares of a nearby stall, all the while actually keeping his eyes trained on the Leaden Key member that he and Ariela had been tracking for the last couple of weeks. 

  Unable to decide which of their plans would be the smartest to follow through on, and with a rapidly shortening window of opportunity, the pair had instead decided to do both, splitting up so that they might cover all of their options. While Ariela remained in the inn to have a look through the man's belongings, Aloth had set out to follow him through the town- quietly, at a distance- hoping that he might catch the man in the act of doing something nefarious.

 The 'quietly, at a distance' part of the plan, however, didn't seem to be sitting well with Iselmyr. She had been grumbling since a few minutes after he had left the inn, from the very moment that she had realised that there was going to be no immediate action, and frankly, if she continued for much longer, she was going to give him a headache.

  _This is dull. He isnae doing anything. We shoulda stayed with the lass. At least she's pretty to look at, if nothing else._

 Aloth resisted the urge to roll his eyes, moving to the next stall for a better view of the man that he was tracking as he muttered; "I assure you, were it possible for me to leave you with Ariela while I did this, I would gladly do so."

  _Ha! An' whit'd happen if the hooded fyndes killed ye wi'out me there?_

 "Then I'd be all the more glad for the few moments of peace that I had been granted beforehand." Aloth remarked, with a wry smile, as he reached out to run a hand over one of the bolts of fabric on display near to where he was standing, and attempted to appear very interested in it.

 For once, he knew, he had to admit that Iselmyr was right. Though he had hoped that the Leaden Key member had been heading out to meet up with another member of his group, perhaps on the outskirts of town, or in some deserted back alley, so far all that he seemed to be doing was shopping for entirely run of the mill supplies. While the knowledge that he seemed to be intending to set out on the road once again was somewhat useful, Aloth couldn't help but be disappointed that his reconnaissance mission had not yielded more interesting results. He could only hope that Ariela might be having more luck back at the inn.

 Turning his attention back to the man across the crowded square, Aloth couldn't help but frown. He was laughing as he bartered with a merchant and, with his carefree demeanor and handsome features, Aloth was fairly certain that no-one would ever suspect the young dwarven man of being involved in anything untoward. And yet, not only was he a member of a secret organisation that was set on altering the course of kith history to suit its own desires, but he was a high ranking one, at that. At least, that's what he and Ariela had assumed, based on his unusual mission.

 As the man handed over the money for his purchased goods, he suddenly froze in place, head tilting curiously to the side at whatever the merchant said to him, before quickly whipping around to look in Aloth's direction.

 Aloth spun around, suddenly feeling very obvious, and quickly attempting to scope out anything that might help him to blend into the market square a little better. Spying a food merchant only a couple of stalls away, he began to move in that direction, striding purposefully at first before catching himself, and slowing his movement so that he might appear more casual. Every part of him wanted to turn back around, to check whether or not the Leaden Key member had actually seen him, whether he was now the one being watched, or if the man had gone back to business as usual, but Aloth resisted the urge, knowing that if the man were to see his face, it would make it all the harder for he and Ariela to continue to follow him to his eventual destination without being noticed.

 He slowed to a stop by the food stall, eyes moving over the products without really seeing them, before looking up at the merchant; an elven woman at least twice his age, with honey coloured hair and a kindly expression.

 "What can I get for you?" 

 He was going to lose track of the Leaden Key member. He needed to turn back around, as casually as possible, so that he could assess his situation, and get eyes on the man before he disappeared into the crowd. But, now that he had walked over to the merchant, he was going to look suspicious if he didn't buy something. Particularly if he was the one now being observed.

 "Um, I'll have... one of whatever the sweetest thing is that you have." Aloth requested. Ariela had quite the sweet tooth, he knew, and she would surely be happy to eat whatever he bought, once he met back up with her at the inn. 

 Quickly paying the merchant and taking what appeared to be some kind of sweet pastry in return, he began to turn around, slowly, directing his attention back towards where the Leaden Key member had been standing, as casually as he could manage. Finding no-one at the stall, he cast his gaze over the square in general, looking for any sign of the man. Nothing. 

 Beginning to make his way through the crowded market, he dodged between morning shoppers, hastily scanning each person that he could see, hoping that the man had merely made his way across to the other side of the market, and out of his direct line of sight. But it was to no avail. With each person he passed, Aloth's pace increased, until he found himself practically jogging as he came out of the other end of the square, and onto a secluded side-street.

 There was no sign of the man. He had left the market.

  _Dae ye reckon he saw ye?_

 "I don't know," Aloth admitted, with a defeated sigh, as he slumped against a nearby wall to gather his thoughts. "Hopefully not, or else..."

 He trailed off, abruptly straightening up with widened eyes.

  _What is it?_

 "Ariela." He began to move immediately, heading back towards the inn as the thought spun around in his head. If he had spooked the man, and he thought that someone might be following him, there was every chance that he might return straight to the inn to secure his belongings. 

 Where he would find Ariela in the process of breaking into his room.

 

 **

 

 Ariela let out a long breath as she watched Aloth slip out of the inn after the Leaden Key member, and picked up her mug to finish off her second honeyed tea of the morning. She wasn't exactly sure whether or not splitting up had really been the best choice- the whole point of her coming along with him on his mission was so that she could try and keep him from getting in over his head, which was hard to do if she was back at the inn as he chased a Leaden Key member all over town- and yet it had been the only decision that they had been able to come to in the very limited window that they had had. Aloth would be alright, she assured herself. He'd been doing this for a while now.

Taking a good few minutes to finish off her drink, in case the man who's room she was about to break into realised that he had forgotten something, and decided to return to the inn, she began to formulate a plan. She knew which room belonged to the man in question, she and Aloth having been observing him for quite some time now, but getting into the room could be a little challenging. Locks were not her specialty. It was people that were more her area of expertise.

_Oh._

 Gathering up the empty breakfast plates from their table, Ariela moved over towards where the innkeeper had mentioned that he was going to be, preparing her story for when she arrived. She didn't like to lie, but she had been learning since travelling with Aloth that sometimes there wasn't really any other viable option. It wasn't as though she could just tell the man that she and her friend were following a member of a cult across the countryside without any information about who he was or where he was going, and actually expect anyone to help them with that, after all.

 Setting down the plates on the counter top, near to where the innkeeper was standing, and adopting a concerned frown as she did so, she politely called for his attention. "I'm so sorry to bother you, but I was rather hoping you might be able to help."

 The man smiled as he recognised her, though Ariela noted the way his eyes briefly glanced past her to see if her friend was also in attendance of their conversation. "I _did_ say that if there was anything you needed, you'd only to ask."

 "Well, I really hope that you can. You see, my friend stepped out to take a little stroll around the town, and it wasn't until after he left that I realised he still had the key to our room! If he realises that he has it, I'm sure he'll bring it back, but it's possible it won't occur to him until he returns later in the day. And I would rather like to get back in. I'm part way through a romance novel, you see, and it is _quite_ enjoyable. It's about this handsome and mysterious wizard who falls for a kindly innkeeper during his travels, but fate intervenes to keep them apart.... I'm _very excited_ to see how it ends."

 "I, uh, yes. That _does_ sound good." The innkeeper's face flushed a bright shade of red at the image that she had conjured, and Ariela bit back a smile.

 "So, I was just wondering if you had, say, a master key or something, so that I could get back into my room?"

 "I do. I should be able to come up and unlock the door for you as soon as the breakfast rush is over. I can't really leave until then."

 Ariela smiled brightly, focusing on putting a little hint of psionic suggestion behind each word, as she replied. "Oh, of course! I wouldn't expect you to leave your other customers! I could just run upstairs and unlock the door and bring the key right back. Wouldn't even take a minute. I wouldn't want to inconvenience anyone, after all!"

  

Five or so minutes later, after quick a trip back downstairs to return the key to the innkeeper, and a stop by her own room to retrieve a notebook and pen, and Ariela was slipping nonchalantly into the Leaden Key member's room. It was oddly impersonal, she mused, as she began to poke around, looking for the pack that she had seen him carrying during his travels on the road. Despite a few days of living out of the room, he had apparently not left out any kind of personal belongings. No book here, or hairbrush there. Not even a spare pair of shoes left out near the door.

 With a curious expression, she began to make her way around the small room, checking out each piece of furniture, one thing at a time, prepared to make a note of anything that she might find as she did so. An investigation of the cupboard and dresser revealed nothing, aside from a tattered walking cloak with no pockets, and she found that the writing desk in the corner, and all of its drawers, were empty as well. But he hadn't had his bag on him, so it had to be somewhere in the room. 

 Sinking down to the floor to poke her head under the bed, she finally laid eyes on the familiar black leather rucksack that she had been searching for. Dragging it out from under the wooden bedframe, she adjusted her position, sitting cross-legged on the floor as she began to examine the contents of the bag. 

 A grey blanket was bundled around a small set of other belongings- a set of dark robes and a mask of Woedica; the clothing that he had been wearing when she and Aloth had first encountered him at a meeting of a Leaden Key cell, a pair of daggers; sharp but otherwise unremarkable, and a small leatherbound journal.

 Flicking through the journal, Ariela found that it mostly appeared to be related to his day-to-day life, outside of his activities with the Leaden Key, and while she was sure it had the potential to be a fascinating read, she didn't exactly have all day to sit and page through the man's life story. She noted a couple of dates and times that she recognised as meeting times of the cell that the man had belonged to, but nothing seemed to be written about what had transpired at those meetings, nor was there any mention of what he might have been tasked with whilst he was there. With a disappointed sigh, she began to close the journal, ready to pack it back inside of the bag, when a sheet of thick paper fluttered out from between the pages.

 It was a letter, Ariela noted, and while it was neither addressed to nor signed with a name, and appeared to be entirely written in code, she had no trouble recognising the Leaden Key's insignia at the foot of the paper. 

 "Huh." She remarked, as she quickly began to copy the contents of the letter into her notebook. She didn't have time to decipher it now, but as long as she was careful with her copying, there was no reason that she and Aloth wouldn't be able to figure out what it said later. They were relatively intelligent people, after all.

 She had two sentences of the letter left to copy when she heard the noise of someone making their way up the stairs towards the corridor just outside. It was him. She knew, somehow, without even having to tap into her psionics, that the person less than a minute away from where she was, was most definitely the owner of this room.

 Taking a deep breath and steeling her nerves, Ariela focused her mind on what was written in front of her. She needed to finish copying this letter. It could be their only lead.

 She was halfway through the second to last word when the door to the room swung open uncertainly, and her breath caught in her throat. She wasn't exactly hidden in her position on the floor, but she focused on the talent that she had been working on over the last few years, and projected the image of an empty room into the mind of the man, standing only five feet from her, in the doorway of the room, mumbling about how he had definitely locked the door.

 He cast his eyes suspiciously around the room, looking right past her as if she wasn't there, and she forced herself to let out a quiet breath. She didn't know how long she could keep this illusion up, having already tapped into her psionics a couple of times during the morning. But at least it was working for now.

 She unfolded herself from the floor, leaving the contents of the bag still spread out where she had been sitting. She needed to get out of the door before he closed it, or else he was going to find out that she was there.

 Gripping onto her mostly-finished copy of the letter, she stepped quietly around the room, eyes locked on the man before her, hardly daring to breathe lest she give away her presence. 

 Slipping past him as he began to move into the room, she just barely managed to make it through the door before he pushed it shut with a heavy thud, and Ariela collapsed against the wall of the corridor, letting out a long breath. 

 Hurried footsteps sounded from the stairs, and Ariela looked up to find Aloth rushing up into the corridor. She raised one hand in a half-hearted greeting, and saw his face flood with relief as his eyes fell onto her. She smiled, before pressing a finger to her lips, and pointing at the Leaden Key member's door. 

 Aloth nodded his head in understanding, moving silently towards the door to their own room, and she joined him, turning the key in the lock once they were both inside.

 Splitting up might not have been the best plan, Ariela reflected, for the second time that morning. But the important thing was they were both alright.


	4. Regroup and Regather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now safely back in their room in the inn, Aloth and Ariela gather their thoughts and turn their attention to the coded letter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A slightly shorter update this week, because this really should have been at the end of the last chapter, according to my writing plan. Oops. Think of this as kind of a chapter 3.5.

 "Are you alright?" Aloth asked, the moment that the door to their shared room was closed. His heart was still racing from his sprint across town to get back to the inn, mind still spinning from the ideas that had been running through it during his frantic journey. "When I lost sight of him, I thought... well, I just knew that I should get back here as quickly as I could." 

 He ran his eyes quickly over Ariela's form as she turned the key in the lock, assessing her for anything close to a sign of harm, but finding nothing amiss. _Thank the Gods_. If anything had happened to her because he'd managed to lose track of the man that they were following...

 "I'm fine, Darling." Ariela assured, her usual sunny smile in place as she turned to face him, even despite their situation. He wondered, not for the fist time, just how exactly she managed to stay so cheerful. "Thankfully I've been practicing my disappearing act over the last few years! And, on a positive note, I now know for certain that I can do that both whilst moving _and_ whilst panicking. So, that's good, yes?" Crumpling her face into an unhappy expression, she added. "Though, on a less positive note, he's definitely going to know that someone was in his room. I didn't have time to pack his things away before I ran for the door."

 "That doesn't matter; your well-being is the most important thing." It was quite unlike him to speak a thought without carefully considering it beforehand, and yet those words tumbled easily from Aloth's lips before he had even had time to finish thinking them. They were true, of course. This was _his_ mission, and while he had to admit that it had been nice to have someone accompanying him on it for the last couple of months, particularly someone as enjoyable to spend time with as Ariela had proved to be, he never wanted to lose sight of that. If something were to happen to his companion- to his _friend_ \- because she had wanted to keep him company, then he didn't know what he would do. "Besides, I suspect that he was aware that he was being followed in the marketplace as well."

 "He saw you?" Ariela's eyes widened briefly, before narrowing in obvious concern.

 "I'm not certain. I don't believe so. Or, at least, not my face. But he seemed to know that someone was watching; I think the merchant may have noticed me." Aloth let out a long sigh as he reflected on what had happened back in the town square. He hadn't exactly been being obvious, but it seemed that he had still not been cautious enough. And Ariela had almost paid for his mistake.

 "Well, then, we just... need..." Ariela trailed off from whatever she had been about to say, cocking her head curiously to the side as her eyes fell onto his hands. "I'm sorry, is that a pastry?"

 Dropping his attention to the object in his hands, he was surprised to find that the treat he had purchased from the food merchant back in town had somehow managed to remain intact throughout his journey. He hadn't even realised that he had still been holding it, having been completely focused on getting back to Ariela, and preparing himself to defend her if it the situation required it. And yet, there it still was in his hands. It was even still warm.

 "Yes. I... had to try to blend into the market. I thought you might appreciate something sweet."

 Ariela's face lit up as he held out the food in her direction, and the room seemed to become three times brighter around her as a result. "For me?! I mean; yes, I would. Thank you!"

 Aloth couldn't help but smile as Ariela dropped down onto the edge of her bed, tearing off a small bit of the pastry with her fingers to sample the taste as she did so. Her expression was soft and full of delight, and he found himself thinking for the umpteenth time since he had arrived back at the inn just how glad he was that nothing bad had happened to her in his absence.

 "Ooo, it's nice." Ariela confirmed, before putting the rest of the treat to one side, looking a little sheepish. "Sorry. As I was saying; we'll just have to be more careful from now on, make sure that he doesn't see us watching him. I did find something in his room, though. Hopefully that might be helpful." Ariela held out her notebook towards him, and he took it automatically, his eyes moving over a page filled with her neat, cursive handwriting as she continued to explain. "I didn't have time to finish copying it, but it's only missing a couple of words. It seems to be coded, and it was signed with the Leaden Key insignia."

 "A letter?" He queried, already starting to look for patterns in the lettering that could help in cracking the code.

 "Yes, he had it tucked into his journal. It was the only thing other than his robes that obviously linked back to the Leaden Key. I feel like it's important." 

 "It could well be." 

 Aloth frowned thoughtfully as he took a seat on his own bed, mulling over the paper in his hands. A few minutes passed in silence before he felt Ariela sink into the mattress beside him, the smell of her floral perfume filling his senses as she leaned in closely to examine the letter for herself. He had never been entirely comfortable with letting people get too close, either physically or emotionally, and yet he made no move to put any kind of distance between them, and felt no desire to. Instead, he closed the distance between them, shuffling closer until their shoulders were touching, and moving the letter to rest comfortably between them.

  _Nice start, Lad. Next ye want tae try an' touch other places. I'd be happy tae help._

 "I did notice a couple of patterns as I was copying it down." Ariela informed, glancing sideways at him, and he quickly schooled his face into a natural expression in an attempt to hide the eye roll he'd been directing at Iselmyr. His friend seemed not to notice, thankfully, as she ran her fingertips across the notebook, indicating a couple of different places with repeated letter groupings. "This word shows up quite a few times, my best guess would be 'the', and I'm fairly certain that this is an 'a'."

 Aloth nodded in agreement, ignoring Iselmyr's worsening comments echoing in his head, as he reached across for a pen from his nightstand, and pulled a sheet of paper from the notebook to make a note of their workings. "And that one may be an 'l'."

 Ariela bobbed her head happily, and he couldn't help but feel as though her positivity was infectious, a big smile finding its way onto his lips to match her own, as she declared; "See, we're off to a great start! We'll have this cracked in no time!"

 

**

 

It took three near-misses, two cups of tea, and one split pastry, but Ariela grinned in triumph as she realised that they had finally managed to crack the code that the Leaden Key's letter had been written in. The sun was beginning to set outside, but her mood was still high as she and Aloth sat cross-legged in the centre of his bed, surrounded by sheets of paper filled with their workings and incorrect translations. She shuffled round to sit beside her friend, setting the finished letter in front of them, so that they could both read through the now-legible message together.

 It was frustratingly vague, and much of the information that was there was written in euphemisms and doublespeak, but from what Ariela could gather, the man that they were following had been sent to investigate a town in which the residents had begun to try and break away from traditions that the cult had spent centuries establishing there. There were a number of Leaden Key members in influential positions throughout the town- though she noted that neither their names nor their positions were listed- who had reached out for for backup once they had realised that their usual methods did not seem to be having any kind of effect on the townsfolk who were starting to rebel. 

 "You did well in finding this, Ariela." Aloth remarked, reaching the end of the letter with a satisfied curl of his lips. "Now we know what it is that he's doing."

 Leaning against her friend's arm with a big smile, she traced her finger across the page in front of them until she found the name of the town that had been mentioned, tapping on it meaningfully as she spoke. " _And_ we know where he's going."

 "Now all we need is a plan."


	5. Research and Reflection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ariela and Aloth spend the day researching the location of the town they now know they are heading for. Iselmyr is bored. Ariela gets distracted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short update, because this scene kind of grew out of what was only supposed to be a three sentence round up of what took place in the time between chapters! And though I like it too much to get rid of it, it kind of throws off the flow of the what rest of the chapter had been going to be, so I think it's better off having a chapter all to itself.

 They spent the majority of the day after Ariela's mostly-successful break-in trying to avoid the Leaden Key member that they had been tracking as much as possible. Uncertain as to whether he had seen Aloth well enough to be able to identify him, and not wanting to draw too much attention to themselves when they knew that Ariela had left behind clear evidence that someone had been poking through his things the day before, the pair had decided that having learned the man's mission and eventual destination would have to suffice for now, and that a more hands-off approach might be the best one for them to take, for the time being at least, so that they could ensure that their presence would not be too easily noticed.

 They had spent their afternoon in the town's library, much to the dissatisfaction of Iselmyr, and after around an hour of the woman's complaints, Ariela had come to develop an even deeper respect for Aloth, thoroughly impressed that he had managed to put up with her comments in his head near-constantly for such a long time. He was a stronger man than most, she knew, and he really didn't give himself enough credit for it. In the same position, she was sure that she would have gone mad within the first few weeks. 

 "This is _dull_." Aloth's eyes rolled dramatically as Iselmyr threw back his head in frustration, pushing back his chair a little as if to put physical distance between herself and the pile of maps and local history books that the Aedyrans had been working their way through.

 "You've said that five times now, Darling." Ariela looked up from the map that she'd been poring over, with the most patient smile that she could muster. She knew that it must be tough for Iselmyr; trapped in a body that wasn't her own, and having no choice but to tag along to places that she would rather not be. Still, that didn't mean that Ariela wanted to hear about it quite so constantly, and she was confident that Aloth did not, either. "I know that you don't like to sit still for too long, but not everything in life is going to be exciting, Iselmyr."

 "Fye, least not the way the pair o' ye live it!"

 Ariela laughed at that, and then pulled her attention away from her research entirely to regard Iselmyr with mock indignation, a teasing lilt to her voice when she spoke. "Don't project your personal problems onto me, Isel. I'll have you know that I've had _quite a lot_ of excitement in my life!"

 "Oh, have ye now?" Iselmyr leaned forwards once again, resting an elbow on the edge of the desk they were sitting at, an intense curiosity burning in Aloth's eyes as she looked Ariela over.

 There was something behind that look, Ariela could see, that reminded her far too much of her own reactions to a particularly tasty looking dessert; a hungry interest that caused her to avert her gaze quickly, fighting the blush that threatened to work its way onto her cheeks. It was quite unlike her to be so affected by something so inconsequential, and she tried to rationalise that it was merely that it was strange to see such a look coming from her friend- ignoring the small voice in the back of her mind that suggested that perhaps she might have enjoyed it more if it had not been the wrong person who was looking out at her through those particular eyes. 

 "I have." Ariela assured, staring at nothing in particular as she attempted to regather her thoughts. "But I think there comes a time when you have to weigh what's more important; your own fun, or trying to do something meaningful. I could still be back in Adeyr, living in luxury with an assortment of lovers to choose from, if that was the life that I'd wanted. But it never has been. As unexciting as it may be at times, I've only ever wanted to help others."

 "An admirable goal." Aloth's voice responded, and she looked up in his direction once more to find her friend watching her, with soft eyes and a gentle smile.

 "And one that we share." She reminded, mirroring his expression without really meaning to, all the while trying not to think about how pretty he looked when he was relaxed. "That's... that's why I'm so glad that you allowed me to join you. I feel like we can help so many people by putting a stop to the Leaden Key's activities. And... well, it's nice to be around someone so like-minded."

 "It _is_ , isn't it?" Aloth's voice was so soft that she wasn't entirely sure that he had really spoken, his gaze entirely fixated on her with that same soft expression, and a somewhat faraway look in his eyes. A moment or two passed between them in silence, and then another, and another, and she suddenly realised that she was still staring as his face began to twist into a complicated expression. 

 He was probably trying to figure out why his friend was acting so strangely, Ariela told herself as she pulled her attention away, wishing that she didn't have to get so distracted by him all of the time. She'd had months to figure out how to deal with the little crush that she'd developed on him during their adventures in the Dyrwood, and yet she had never been able figure out how to stop admiring him. On the contrary, over the last few months, she had actually found even more reasons to think that he was wonderful. And no amount of reminding herself that he didn't view her in the same way, or that what he needed from her was to be his _friend_ , seemed to be able to change how she thought of him.

 The silence between them dragged out longer than seemed comfortable, and Ariela desperately tried to think of anything to say to him that might be able to rekindle their usual friendly conversation, but all that spun through her mind were thoughts of him; his beautiful smile, his gorgeous eyes, his kind soul. How glad she was to get to be around him day after day. Certainly nothing that she could speak out loud without potentially ruining their friendship.

 There was the slightest sign of movement just outside of her vision as she reluctantly returned her attention to the map in front of her, and she realised that it was Aloth; his hand very slowly beginning to reach out in her direction. If she didn't know better, she would have thought that he were reaching out for her free hand, the one still resting on the desk, not too far away from him, but she did. That was merely wishful thinking, she knew, and she needed to get out of the habit of having thoughts of that kind. But before she could devote any more time to wondering what it was he was actually doing, Ariela's eyes finally landed on what she had been searching for. The town that had been mentioned in the Leaden Key's letter. 

 "Found it!" She announced, looking up at Aloth with a triumphant smile, and placing one finger directly on top of the town's location on the map. It wasn't actually that far from where they were now, she noted. It would probably only take a couple of days travel to reach.

 Aloth jerked his hand back suddenly as she raised her head, a surprised look passing over his face, momentarily, as though he had been shaken from a stupor, before he flashed a wide smile in her direction that caused her heart to skip a beat. "Well done, Ariela. It is nice to have you around."


	6. New Town, New Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aloth and Ariela finally arrive in the town mentioned in the Leaden Key's letter, and begin to formulate a plan of action. Ariela is disappointed by the lack of mustaches. Aloth can't sleep.

 Their destination was only a couple of days travel from the town in which they had been staying, and yet the journey seemed to take a lifetime.

 It seemed to Aloth that there was some kind of uncomfortable energy hanging between he and Ariela ever since that afternoon in the library. The comfortable banter that they had found over the last few months together seemed stilted and awkward, and he knew that it was his fault. He'd been acting strangely around her; watching her face when she wasn't paying attention, and reaching out for her hand on multiple occasions, for no apparent reason. His odd behaviour was surely making his friend uncomfortable, and he himself did not entirely know what kept coming over him. He would have been inclined to blame such behaviour on Iselmyr, and yet he knew that he had felt no intrusion from her during the times in question.

 Whatever it was that was causing this, he hoped that he would be able to shake himself out of it soon. His friendship with Ariela was far too important to him to allow whatever this might be to sabotage it.

  _Are ye still stewin' on the Lass? Ye dinnae think ye might be acting like ye are cos ye've finally noticed she's right bonny?_

 "Don't be ridiculous." Aloth frowned, even as he felt some heat rising on his cheeks. 

 It _was_ ridiculous. Not the idea that Ariela was attractive, of course. She was. With her sunny smile, and eyes that reminded him of the jungles back home. Her sharp wit, her gentle demeanor. The way that she tried to help everyone that they met. But she was his _friend_ , and he most certainly did not view her in any kind of inappropriate manner.

  _Well, if yer not gonny dae anythin', maybe I should try-_

 " _Iselmyr_." He snapped her name, desperately trying to drown out her voice in his head, but instantly regretted it when Ariela turned her attention towards him, cocking her head curiously.

 "Are you alright, Darling?"

 "I... Yes. I'm fine. She's just..." He trailed off with a sigh, unsure of how to finish his thought.

 "Frustrating you, evidently." Ariela closed the distance between them with a gentle smile, reaching out to link her arm with his as they walked, effortlessly, as though it were second nature for the two of them to be so close. Once, he suspected that he might have protested over her proximity, and yet now he realised that he was leaning into her touch, enjoying the feel of her warmth beside him... Was he behaving strangely again? "Do you want to talk about it? I promise to side with you. Well, unless Iselmyr has a good argument, at least."  

 "No!" He responded, a little too quickly, before adjusting his tone to sound somewhat more casual. "No. It's nothing important, I assure you."

 "Alright. But if you need someone to talk to, then you know that I'm here for you, yes?" Her eyes lingered on his face, her cheeks puffed up in a concentrated expression of concern, and he bit back a chuckle at the sight of her.

 "Yes."

 "Good." She beamed happily, and the world around them seemed to brighten in response. "You've been kind of quiet for the last couple of days.... But I think that perhaps I have been too." 

 "Well, we're talking now." Aloth reminded with a reassuring smile, hoping that the awkwardness between them might finally be behind them. They were talking, they were touching. Everything felt right with the world once again.

 "What do you think we're going to find in this town?" Ariela queried, after a few moments of silence. "I don't suppose that we'll be lucky enough that the Leaden Key members are just wandering around with ridiculous mustaches laughing like crazed villains."

 "That has never been my experience thus far. But honestly, who can really tell when it comes the Leaden Key?" Aloth couldn't help but smirk, glancing in Ariela's direction to find her watching him out of the corner of her eye, a cheeky expression playing on her face. When she caught sight of his smile, she let out a little giggle, squeezing his arm affectionately, and he quickly averted his gaze back to the path in front of them, clearing his throat and attempting to stop the spread of the heat that he felt rising onto his cheeks. "But I suppose we'll find out soon enough." 

 

**

 

 Ariela wasn't entirely sure what she had been expecting, but she couldn't deny that some part of her was a little disappointed to find that the town was entirely normal-looking. There was no fighting in the street, no open organisation of a resistance. No signs at all that the people here were aware of a secret organisation that was trying to manipulate them. As they made their way through the moderately busy streets, looking for somewhere that they could stay, Ariela took note of the people around them; their faces, their body language, the surface level emotions that she could sense with her psionics. But there was nothing special that stood out to her. No-one plotting evil deeds. No-one terrified and feeling oppressed. Just ordinary people going about ordinary lives.

 "This... wasn't what I was expecting." Ariela admitted, once the pair had tracked down and checked into the local inn, and were safely locked away in the privacy of their room. It was less fancy than the one in the last town that they'd stayed in for any length of time, but then this was only a small town, she supposed, and so long as it had two beds and a lock on the door, she was sure that it would suffice.

 "Not enough villainous mustaches?" Aloth quirked a brow in her direction, pausing as he unpacked to glance across in her direction, with a teasing smirk playing on his lips, and she felt her heart skip a beat. Why did he have to look so pretty when he smiled? It just wasn't fair.

 "Well it _would_ make our life a lot easier if the cult members acted more like theatrical villains." Ariela defended, trying to keep her mind on track with the conversation. "But I just meant that I thought it might be more... _obvious_. Where to go next. The letter said that there was some resistance to the Leaden Key's machinations here, so I guess that on some level I thought that the townspeople might be fighting back or something. Not that anything that we've dealt with up until this point has ever been that simple."

 "Nothing's ever so simple when it comes to the Leaden Key." Aloth remarked, turning his attention back to his bag. "We need to find out what it is that they've been doing in this town. If we know that, then we can try and find a way to stop them."

 "Then hopefully we can help the people here." Ariela nodded. "Even better if we can do it before our friend from the other cell gets here." 

 "You think that we can identify, research, and destroy a Leaden Key cell in the space of a day or two? He might not have passed us on the road, but I can't imagine that he's far behind us."

 "Well, when you say it like _that_ , it does sound difficult." Ariela let out a long breath, leaning her head back against the headboard, and trying to refocus her mind. What they'd found wasn't what she had been anticipating, but that didn't mean that they weren't still capable individuals, who had done this kind of thing a number of times over the past few months. She needed to stay positive. Think positive, and good things will happen. That was what she had always told herself. "But we know that there's already interference to their plans. And they're already expecting someone coming to assist them, right? So, in theory that should make it easier for us to waltz into wherever they meet."

 "Pretend _we're_ from the other cell?"

 "We've walked into meetings and pretended to be initiates before." Ariela reminded, with a shrug, and then flashed Aloth a proud smile. "And I'm actually confident that you likely know more about the Leaden Key than people actually still in the Leaden Key, at this point."

 Aloth's lips twisted into a pleased expression, until he caught himself and quickly schooled his face back into something more neutral. "I'm... sure that's not true."

 "You are allowed to be proud of your accomplishments, you know, Darling. You've worked hard on this. On researching them; learning as much as you can about their methods and their history so that you can stop them. You're really wonderful." Ariela's eyes widened in horror as she realised what she'd just said, and she quickly backpedaled. "Um, I mean, it's really wonderful that you chose to do this. To try and help people." 

 There was a beat of silence, in which Ariela forgot to breathe, waiting to see if Aloth had noticed what she had actually said. She really needed to stop being so complimentary towards him. It made it far too easy for her to get distracted, and she was going to end up ruining their friendship if he realised that she had come to think of him as more than a friend.

 "Well." He remarked. "Somebody has to."

 "I agree." Ariela let out a relieved sigh, realising that she'd apparently managed to cover up her slip of the tongue. "That's why I'm here. I want to help you do good."

 "And I'm glad to have you."

 "And I'm glad that you're glad to have me."

  _...What?_  Ariela frowned at herself, willing herself to just stop talking. She was sure that she wasn't ordinarily so awkward. Thankfully, Aloth seemed not to notice, standing up from his bed and crossing to the small window that overlooked the street outside. 

 "It's already starting to get dark. I know that we have somewhat of a time limit, but..."

 "Wandering around in an unfamiliar town late at night where we might run into Leaden Key members and ruin our chance to take them by surprise could be a bad idea?"

 Aloth's expression softened slightly as he looked back in her direction, and her heart beat out of rhythm once again. Gods, this was going to be hard. "Yes. Exactly that." 

 "Then why don't we get some food and head to bed? We can start early in the morning; get a lay of the land, and talk to some of the local people? See if we can get an idea of where to start?" Ariela suggested, standing up from her bed and starting to dig through her bag for a nice blouse to wear for dinner.

 It was a good plan, she knew, but the biggest selling point for her was knowing that if they were to go to sleep early, she would definitely be able to avoid being so weird around her friend.

  

**

  

Aloth wasn't a good sleeper. He never had been. It paid to remain alert and aware of your surroundings at all times, and he had known this from a young age. Ariela, on the other hand, he had once literally witnessed sleep through a thunderstorm without so much as stirring. He couldn't deny that he envied her, on occasions like the one that he was in now; wide awake in the middle of the night, while the rest of the world slept peacefully around him. 

 The muffled sound of noisy drunkards in the tavern downstairs had faded into nothing well over an hour before, and the only noises that he had heard since were the gentle, steady breaths of his friend across the room, and the occasional hoot of an owl somewhere nearby. Iselmyr had been uncharacteristically quiet all night, and aside from the occasional complaint from her that he was _still awake_ , he had mostly found himself left entirely alone with his own thoughts.

 Letting out a long sigh, he finally gave up on trying to get any sort of sleep, and began to reach for the small lantern on the table between the two beds. The light wouldn't be enough to wake Ariela, and if he wasn't going to be able to get to sleep, then he might as well try to do something productive instead.

 As his fingers brushed against the metal of the lantern, he heard a quiet noise from outside. Slight, but methodical. The sound of footsteps on cobblestone. 

 Rising from his bed, he quickly crossed to the window, pulling back the thin curtain to look down at the street below.

 For a moment, he began to think that perhaps he had only imagined it. For the street was empty, and everything was quiet. And then suddenly he saw them; three figures in robes moving out from between the houses across the way, masks of Woedica hiding their faces from view.

 The Leaden Key.

 At least he knew that they were definitely in the right place.


	7. New Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ariela and Aloth discuss the previous night's events over breakfast. Ariela makes a new friend. Aloth prepares to pay a compliment.

 "Three of them?" Ariela queried, watching Aloth's face with rapt interest as he finished telling her the story of what had happened the night before, while she had slept. Not for the first time, she cursed her tendency to sleep heavily. This had not been the first time that she had slept through something that she really should not have, but at least it had not been the worst thing to have happened around her as she dreamed.

 "Hmm." Aloth affirmed with a nod of his head, then continued, in a hushed voice. "I'm afraid that I could not tell their destination. They appeared to be heading towards the East of the town, but in the time it took me to make it down to the street, they had already disappeared from view."

 "Well, that's probably a good thing." Ariela chewed on her lower lip, uncomfortable with the very idea that Aloth might have been chasing after The Leaden Key alone, while she was fast asleep and completely oblivious to the danger that he was in. "Not that I don't think that you and Iselmyr could handle three cult members alone, but... well, you don't have to. That's why I'm here, yes? So that you don't have to do any of this alone?" 

 "I... _yes_." Aloth let out a long sigh, a complicated expression on his face. "You're right, of course. We work well together, and I shouldn't have-"

 "Oh. _No!_ That wasn't what I meant!!" Realising that she'd raised her voice in her haste to correct him, Ariela quickly glanced about to make sure that she had not caught any unwanted attention. There weren't many others in the dining area of their inn- in fact, Ariela had noticed the evening before that there didn't actually seem to be many other guests at all- and thankfully none of them appeared to be paying attention to the two Aedyrans in the corner. "You didn't do anything wrong. I know that this is very much your thing, and that I just sort of invited myself along. I don't want to take over, I just... I don't know what I would do if something happened to you."

 Aloth gave her a curious expression, and she suddenly realised what she had just said.

 "Um, I mean..." She faltered for a moment, unsure of how to take back the words that were hanging in the air. She _didn't_ know what she'd do if something were to happen to him. That was the whole reason that she had insisted on coming along with him in the first place. His goal in disrupting the Leaden Key was a noble one, and one that she agreed with, but it was also dangerous. And not only had she already come to care about him beyond a normal level of friendship back when they had been travelling alongside the Watcher all that time before, but during the time that they had been travelling alone together during these last few months, those feelings- her affections- had only grown. She couldn't bear the thought of anything bad happening to him. But she hadn't exactly meant to tell him that. "I... I just mean, if you were to get hurt, and I wasn't there, then I would feel bad. I'm here to help. If I could have helped, but I didn't..."

 Aloth was quiet for a long time, and it took all of Ariela's mental strength not to continue rambling on, trying to cover up her admission. She'd said what she'd said now, trying to pretend like she hadn't was only going to make everything all the more awkward. 

 He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, not quite managing to form any kind of words, until eventually, he averted his gaze from hers, and quietly remarked. "I promise that I won't do anything that might be potentially dangerous without you."

 "Alright." Ariela nodded, slowly, watching his face and attempting to figure out what was going on inside of his head. She could know what was going through his mind, she knew, but she would never invade his privacy like that. She would have to settle for trying to figure it out through subtle cues, just like everyone else. "Good, then."

  

 The rest of their morning meal passed in a quiet awkwardness that couldn't help but remind Ariela of the days that they had spent travelling to town, and she regretted that she had ever opened her mouth in the first place. She'd only been concerned about him, and yet now... now she was afraid that they were going to be uncomfortable around one another again. She really needed to get herself under control, and stop making things weird between them.

 Thankfully, as they began to rise from the table, Aloth flashed her a friendly smile. "So,"

 "So." Ariela repeated, mirroring his expression, and feeling a little more relaxed, as they headed towards the exit to the inn. 

 "Where to begin? Try and figure out where the Leaden Key were heading last night?"

 "I was thinking we should try and talk to some of the locals. See if anyone has seen anything unusual, or..."

 "They might not think that whatever the Leaden Key has been up to is unusual. Who knows how long they've been interfering with this town." He held the door open, ushering Ariela through in front of him as he spoke, voice still low, so that no-one nearby would overhear the topic of their conversation. "Besides, we still don't know who here is a member. We don't want to draw too much attention to ourselves."

 "That's true." Ariela remarked, and looped her arm in his, pulling herself in close by his side. It was a self indulgent move, she knew, to close the distance between them, but they _were_ trying to keep their chat from prying ears. And he hadn't seemed to mind the last time that she did this. She smiled up at him softly, trying to get her mind back on track. 

 Aloth was right. While it would certainly be easier to try to pinpoint The Leaden Key's influence in the town by talking to those that were living here, there was no way for them to tell who the members of the cult were. And if they were to say the wrong thing to the wrong person, they would reveal their hand too soon. Any element of surprise they might currently have would be gone. Unless...

 Ariela's face brightened as an idea came to her, glancing about the marketplace that they had begun to wander into. "But what if we were to talk to someone who we know for certain isn't in the Leaden Key?"

 "I suppose that would be fine, then. But we _don't_ know for certain-"

 "Of course we do!" Releasing Aloth's arm, she made her way deeper into the market, dodging around a couple of merchants who were in the process of setting up their stalls, and moving towards the opposite corner, hoping that her plan would actually work out. 

  

**

  

 Aloth stared after his companion as she skipped off into the marketplace, making her way through the local people setting up their stalls ahead of the arrival of the morning shoppers, the warmth of her touch still lingering across his arm. He wasn't entirely sure what she had planned, or even where she seemed to be going, but he trusted her. He had never known Ariela to be reckless, and, in fact, she had come up with a number of good solutions to problems that they had faced over the last few months that he had to admit might never have occurred to him. While it was the similarities between them that had brought them together as friends, it seemed to be their differences that helped to make them such a good team.

 Following her path across the town square, he quickly located Ariela, who was approaching a young dark haired human girl, with her usual sunny smile lighting up her face.

 "Now _you_ look like you probably know _all_ of the local gossip." She greeted. "Are you helping your parents out with the market?"

 The girl nodded, and pointed across to a nearby stall. "My ma's stall is over there. She bakes bread."

 "Oh really? My mother was a baker, as well! I'll _definitely_ have to try some of your mother's bread." Aloth briefly wondered if that was true. He hadn't ever known Ariela to lie, but he also couldn't ever recall her talking about her mother during the time that they had spent together. He knew that she'd passed away when Ariela was born, but as far as he could remember, she had never mentioned anything else about the woman. He knew that his companion had not had the best experience with her family, and frankly, that was a feeling that he could understand all too well. When she had realised that they had this in common, Ariela had stopped asking about the home that he had left behind, and in turn he had never brought up hers.

 "It's really good!" The girl assured, with a bright smile, before tilting her head a little. "You don't seem like you're from round here."

 A wry smile passed over Ariela's face.  "Was it the accent that gave it away, or the blue skin?"

 "I've never seen a pale elf before." The girl mumbled, looking a little sheepish.

 "You're not the only one, darling, don't worry. I'm Ari," Glancing back in his direction, she flashed him a gentle smile, before pointing across to where he was standing, prompting him to begin to make his way closer. "And this is my friend Aloth. We're just staying in town for a few days."

 "I'm Amelia."

 "It's nice to meet you, Amelia." Ariela reached out and shook the girl's hand. "Do you think there's any places that we should try and visit while we're here? Anything fun you think we should see?"

 "Hmmm...." Amelia adopted a particularly thoughtful expression, fingers reaching up to rub her chin as her head tipped to the side, and her eyes turned skyward. Aloth couldn't imagine that the girl was going to tell them anything particularly useful, but he couldn't fault Ariela's logic. They could _most definitely_ be certain that a child was not an active member of the Leaden Key. After a long moment, she turned her attention back to Ariela. "Dahlia's dress shop sells some pretty nice things, I bet you'd like them! And you should definitely come back and see the market when it's all set up properly! But you should try and stay away from the ruins outside of town. Ma always tells me not to go there, and I don't want you to get in trouble."

 "Well, we wouldn't want to get into trouble either." Ariela promised, glancing back at Aloth briefly. "Where are the ruins at? Just so we can make sure we definitely don't get too close by mistake."

 "They're out East. But you'll know if you're getting close. They're pretty obvious."

 "You said these ruins are to the _East_ of town?" Aloth repeated, casting a pointed look in Ariela's direction, before he turned his attention back to the girl. "Do you happen to know if they're Engwithan?"

 "Hmmm, I don't know. I'm not allowed to go there. You really shouldn't either."

 "We definitely won't." Ariela promised, and Aloth felt her fingers brush against his skin as she looped her arm around his once again, settling in close beside him. He wondered if that was going to become a habit between them. He certainly wouldn't complain if it were. The scent of her floral perfume filled his senses and he couldn't help but smile, ignoring the slightest hint of a snicker from Iselmyr that he heard from somewhere in the back of his head as he did so. "Thank you very much for the advice, Amelia. Do you happen to like sweet things?"

 The girl nodded her head enthusiastically, and Ariela smiled.

 "A girl after my own heart." Reaching into the bag slung over her shoulder with her free hand, Ariela effortlessly produced a cookie, handing it out in the girl's direction. Aloth wasn't entirely sure he'd ever seen Ariela part with something with a high sugar content before, and he could only assume she probably had more hidden away in her bag for later on. "Here, for all of your help today. We'll come back a little later on to see the market and get some bread from your mother."

 "Thank you! It was nice to meet you Ari!"

 As the girl rushed off in the direction of her mother's market stall, Ariela tilted her head up to look up at Aloth's face, her soft hair brushing against the arm he had linked with her as she did so. "So... we should go and look for those ruins, yes?"

 "Ruins that the townspeople avoid, that also happen to be in the same direction that I saw a group of Leaden Key members heading last night? Yes, I definitely think that we should go and look for those."

 "Sounds like a plan." Ariela agreed, and the pair began to move, heading out of the marketplace in an Easterly direction. "But is there something that you'd like to say to me first?"

 "Hmm?" Aloth frowned. Had he looked like he wanted to say something to her? Perhaps she had noticed his expression change when she had linked her arm with his? That would be quite embarrassing. It wasn't as though _he_ even knew why he kept acting the way he did around her, so he couldn't exactly explain to her what was going on with him.

 "I mean, I don't want to put words in your mouth, but perhaps something like 'Oh Ari, you're so very smart, I would never have thought of talking to a local child'?"

 Aloth couldn't help but chuckle, simultaneously relieved to realise that it had been nothing serious, and buoyed by the cheeky expression that Ariela was directing his way. She was rather adorable at times.

 "Or maybe something like 'Oh Ari, you really are wonderful! So intelligent, and dare I say... _pretty_ '?"

 Her eyes met his, still twinkling with mischief, a wide grin on her face, and he couldn't help but hold her gaze, a soft smile spreading across his lips. She really _was_ pretty. She might have been joking, but it was very true. After a long moment, he opened his mouth, unsure of what he was about to say, but knowing that the words were on the tip of his tongue.

 "Aye, Lass, yer a right stunner, an' a dinnae conne whit we'd dae without ye." Iselmyr's words came tumbling out of his mouth, and he felt her tug Ariela closer, squeezing her arm affectionately.

 Ariela's grin turned to a fond smile, and he was dimly aware of her squeezing his arm back. "Aww, thank you, Iselmyr. You're too kind." 

 Pushing Iselmyr back down, and ignoring whatever she had to say, he frowned deeply. "Yes. _Well_. If the two of you are _quite_ finished, I do believe we have some ruins to find."

 He couldn't quite put his finger on why he felt quite so annoyed at Iselmyr's interruption. She'd only been playing along with Ariela, after all, it wasn't as though she had caused any harm, and yet... He let out a quiet sigh, hoping that Ariela wouldn't notice. 

 He didn't want to think about it. He just wanted to find these ruins.


	8. Best Laid Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having located the ruins on the edge of town, Ariela, Aloth and Iselmyr attempt to come up with a plan for how to get inside.

 "You know who I miss right now?" Ariela queried, casting a glance across at Aloth. They were just outside of the town, ducked behind some rocks at the edge of a wide clearing, keeping a sensible distance back as they observed the ruins that the young girl in town had warned them to stay away from only an hour or so before. It might have been a temple once, she thought, though she was far from an expert on Engwithan history, and much of the structure appeared to have begun to crumble and collapse as it succumbed to time. "The Watcher. Ominous Engwithan ruins with a Leaden Key presence were very much their area of expertise."

 "I don't disagree." Aloth remarked, quietly turning his attention away from the remnants of the building ahead of them to regard Ariela. Whilst she had expected one of his pretty smiles in response to her attempt at humour, his face instead bore a complicated expression. "But we _have_ been doing alright on our own, haven't we?"

 "Of course!" Ariela smiled, supportively squeezing his arm as she picked up on the uncertainty that began to radiate from him, beginning to regret her choice of words. He was always second guessing himself. She hadn't meant to remind him of his insecurities. "We've been doing fantastically. _You_ 've been doing fantastically. I merely thought that it might have been helpful to have someone along right now that can actually read Engwithan. Assuming that we're planning on investigating the foreboding ancient building that's almost certainly being used by the Leaden Key in some way, that is?"

 "I would think that now would be our best opportunity." Aloth affirmed, turning his attention back to the ruins as he spoke, and seeming a little more sure of himself. She was unclear whether it had been her assurances or the change in subject that had assuaged his concern, but either way she was glad to see that he had bounced back. "The letter that you recovered seemed to imply that the Leaden Key members here are important people throughout the town, which would suggest they have jobs during the day. If we return later, it might be possible that there would be a higher chance that we would encounter people inside than if we were to investigate now."

 "I horribly suspected that you were going to say that."

 "There seems to be a guard on the entrance. Two of them, in fact. I can't tell from this distance, but we should err on the side of caution and assume that they are probably armed." With a thoughtful expression, Aloth tilted his head, and glanced back towards Ariela. "Perhaps we should head back to the inn and retrieve our disguises? We could walk straight in through the entrance if we are able to convince them that we're initiates."

 "That's not a bad idea," Ariela agreed, bobbing her head up and down, as she also took another look at the entrance. Two guards flanked the entrance way, just like Aloth had said, and she suspected that they were probably human or elven based on their heights. They were wearing hooded cloaks, that much she was sure of, but from the distance they were at, she was unsure whether they were wearing robes and a mask. Were they Leaden Key recruits, or merely hired muscle? She wouldn't be able to tell until they got closer. "But we don't know their usual habits yet, or even if they're definitely connected to this place. If it's unusual for people to show up at this time of the day, or at all, then we could end up blowing our cover. Ideally, if we want to bluff them, then we should keep watch for a day or two and get a feel for their normal movements-"

 "Gods, that sounds right dull!" Iselmyr interrupted, and Ariela had to reach out and grab Aloth's arm to prevent her from moving out from behind their cover to head in the direction of the ruins, tugging his body firmly back towards her. "Why don' we just _go in_? It isnae as if we're no match for two, between us! Hel, a could take 'em mysel' if ye want. I know the lass doesnae care for fightin'."

 "I also don't care for watching Aloth getting injured because you can't sit still for five minutes." Ariela shot back, levelling a stern look in Iselmyr's direction. "But I suppose that there's no reason that we couldn't 'just go in'... Assuming that Aloth is alright with that plan as well?"

 "You want to fight them?" Aloth re-emerged with a deep frown, and Ariela released her grip on his arm as soon as she was satisfied that he was back in control of his own body.

 "What? No, of course not. But if you think that it would be best for us to go in there and have a look around on a faster timescale, rather than wait and observe, then... I _could_ use my little cipher trick to get us past the guards. We can't look suspicious if they don't even know we're there."

 "Make us unnoticeable?" Her companion raised a brow in interest as he considered the idea, before shooting her a dubious look. "You could do that? With both of us?"

 Ariela nodded, encouragingly. "I think so." 

 "You ' _think'_ so?"

 It was true that she hadn't exactly mastered the ability. She had managed to rely on the talent to escape from the Leaden Key member's room back at the inn in the last town, even despite her internal panicking, but other than that, she had never exactly used it in a high-pressure situation. And she'd certainly never tried to conceal an additional person before. She couldn't exactly be _entirely_ sure that it would work. "...Probably." 

 "Ariela..."

 "It'll be fine, darling." Ariela cut him off before he could protest, flashing him a bright smile, as though that might convince him of the truth of her words, even as she herself doubted them. "And, besides, if it isn't fine... well, then Iselmyr gets her fight, and we won't have to listen to her complaining for a while. It's pretty much a win-win scenario, if you think about it in the right way."

 The slightest hint of a smile passed over Aloth's face as he thought over her words. "Well, _you_ might not have to hear her complaints, at least. In my experience, peace and quiet is almost impossible to come by where Iselmyr is involved." He quietened for a moment, and then added, in a soft voice. "But I trust you, Ariela. And I have confidence in your abilities. If you believe that this will work, then I certainly agree that it may be our best option."

 Ariela nodded, silently sending a quick prayer out into the world as she offered her arm to Aloth so that he might link his own with hers. She had never been particularly religious, and even less so in the years since her time spent with The Watcher, but... 

_Please, Gods, let this work._


	9. Stealthy Approach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ariela works some cipher magic to make sure the pair remain unseen. Aloth gets distracted by his friend's close proximity. Iselmyr wants a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short update this week, since I didn't end up having a lot of time to write this week, but I still want to get something up. Hoping to have a follow up chapter in the next few days, but I'd also hoped to do that last week too, so we'll just see how that goes, I suppose ;)

 It was a rather curious experience, Aloth couldn't help but think; to walk towards another in plain sight, and yet remain unseen. 

 He had to admit that at first he had not been entirely convinced of the plan. Not that he in any way doubted Ariela's capabilities- he had always known that she was a brilliant and capable young woman- but the problem was that her powers were not anything like the magic that he had spent his years studying and perfecting, and his lack of understanding on the subject had naturally led to a healthy skepticism on his part. And yet, as they walked towards the entrance to the ruins, arm in arm, he realised that he was actually rather impressed. Despite being clearly in their line of vision, those guarding the ruins appeared to remain oblivious to any sign of them drawing closer, and it was Ariela's hard work that was making that so.

 Ariela's face was set in intense concentration, her eyes fixed in the direction of the two figures flanking a stone archway that led deeper into the tall Engwithan structure. He had never really paid close attention to her whilst she was using her abilities, such occasions tending only to occur once they had been forced into a fight, meaning that he was likely to be rather preoccupied at the time. But with his body pulled tight against hers, his arm held in a vice grip by his focused friend, and with nothing to do but to keep close and quiet, he really had no choice but to observe her now. Her breathing was slow and steady, a pale ethereal glow seeming to emanate from her, bathing her face in a beautiful pink light as they crossed the space and began to close the distance between their hiding spot and the archway between the two guards. 

 She caught his gaze out of the corner of her eye as they walked, and for a moment her face softened, glancing sidelong at him with a gentle smile, before turning her full focus back onto the task at hand. 

 Gods, she was beautiful.

  _Aye, an' she's right close an' all. Dae ye reckon she's close enough to kiss? I'd be happy tae try if ye don't-_

 Aloth bit back a deep sigh as he attempted to drown out Iselmyr's highly inappropriate comment, and he felt Ariela's fingers tighten their grip around his forearm. He was unsure as to whether she had sensed his discomfort with his other half, or whether the pressure of what she was doing had prompted her to seek reassurance from him, but either way, he reached out with his free arm, seeking out her hand, and squeezed back, using the feel of her soft skin beneath his fingertips to center himself, and quietening Iselmyr for the time being without any need for an argument.

 As they began to draw level with those guarding the doorway, Aloth began to brace himself. They were so close to them now that he could clearly make out the faces that had been hidden beneath their hoods at a distance, and it occurred to him that Ariela's mind tricks could only get them so far. If they were to do anything to give themselves away now, then there was no guarantee that her removing them from sight would be enough to disguise their presence completely. He noticed Ariela tense beside him as they passed between the two folk- who were chatting happily between themselves, oblivious to the fact that two functionally invisible people were making their way past- squeezing her eyes tight shut, as if afraid that her abilities might stop working at any moment, and he pulled her a little closer, holding his breath as they moved through the archway and into the dimly lit corridor that led deeper inside.

 As soon as they breached the ruins, he felt Ariela relax a measure, loosening her grip on him and letting out a long breath. Motioning for him to move further along the dimly lit interior so as to put some distance between them and the guards, she leaned in close, speaking in a low voice. "Sooo... that worked considerably better than I'd hoped."

 "That... _what_?"

 "Shhh." Ariela glanced back towards the entrance with eyes full of concern, and began to reach out towards him, as if she were going to press a finger to his lips, before seemed to think better of it, and dropped her hand awkwardly to her side. He watched the hand fall, some voice in the back of his mind- that he was fairly certain didn't, in fact, belong to Iselmyr- wondering what it might have felt like if she had touched him so intimately. Ariela, however, remained oblivious to his strange thoughts, flashing him an apologetic look as she continued. "I'm sorry. I may have projected a _little_ more confidence at the end of our discussion outside than I actually had been feeling. I just didn't want to concern you too much. I'm still learning my limitations." 

 Aloth flashed her a soft smile. It wasn't as though she had claimed to have no reservations about the plan; she had been open about the fact that she was not completely certain that she would have been able to make it work. And even if she had not been able to, he would still have appreciated having someone around who could remain positive and feign confidence when he was struggling to do so. He really was glad that he had taken her up on her offer to come along all of those months ago. "You have nothing to apologise for, Ariela. Your abilities are apparently quite effective. You managed to get us in here, completely unnoticed, without any real problem."

 "Yes, I suppose I did. Well, I _am_ pretty wonderful, I suppose." Ariela grinned momentarily, a little twinkle of mischief finding its way into her eyes, before her joking demeanor fell away and she was back to business once again. Looping her arm back around his own, she looked up at him with a serious expression, still speaking in a low voice. "Just please stay close. I think that I should be able to mask us from anyone we might encounter, so long as you don't wander too far from me."

  _Well she doesnae have tae tell me twice._

 "Of course. I'll be sure to stay by your side."


	10. Search and Discover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Aedyrans begin to search the Engwithan Ruins. Aloth has a flash of pride. Ariela indulges herself.

 Despite the tall and imposing look of the structure from the outside, what remained of the Engwithan ruins on the inside was actually rather small. Most of the upper floor had collapsed at some point in the past, leaving only a portion of the ground floor accessible, the rest of it having been long blocked off by piles of rubble that looked like it would take months of dedicated work to clear out. Ariela and Aloth explored the winding corridors, sticking close by one another so that Ariela would be more easily able to repeat her vanishing trick and conceal their presence, on the off chance that they were to encounter any other Leaden Key members inside of the structure. A quick scan with her psionics for the presence of kith nearby as they moved further into the building, however, had only revealed the minds of the two guards outside, so Ariela wasn't _too_ concerned ... but she had also seen no urgent need to alert Aloth to that fact, either, instead choosing to indulge herself in the warmth of her dear friend by her side as they explored.

 It had only really taken them a few minutes to look around all of the rooms that they could access, finding most of them bare and empty, with only two actually appearing to have seen any kind of recent use. One was clearly being used for storage, though an investigation of the stacks of sacks and boxes being kept there revealed nothing of interest; candles and lanterns, some spare Leaden Key robes and masks, a couple of books on Woedican customs. Ariela had flipped through the pages of the books as Aloth surveyed the rest of the room, _just in case_ they hid any messages or concealed letters that might be of interest, and tried not to look too disappointed when she found nothing of the sort. The second was a mid-sized communal room that seemed to have been repurposed from whatever the Engwithans had originally used it for, now appearing to have been converted into a temple to Woedica, complete with an altar and some makeshift pews that had been cobbled together with mismatched chairs that Ariela assumed had been brought from a variety of homes and other buildings throughout the town.

 Ariela sank into one of the chairs, letting out a long sigh, as Aloth continued to poke around the room, looking for anything of interest. She had hoped that there would be... well, she wasn't entirely certain, she supposed. But something more incriminating, certainly, or at least, something more _interesting_ than this.

 "You _are_ welcome to help me search, Ari." Aloth glanced up in her direction, the slightest hint of a teasing smirk playing on his lips to let her know that he wasn't actually annoyed, and she flashed him a wide grin.

 "But you're doing _such_ a good job of it all on your own. I wouldn't want to get in the way." Even as she spoke, she pulled herself back out of the seat once again and began to assist, moving about the room to look for papers, or storage boxes, hidden compartments... _anything_. Locating nothing of interest during her search, she slowly made her way across the room, coming to a stop beside Aloth, and leaning against the altar at the back of the room. "So, this wasn't exactly what we were hoping for. Perhaps they only use this as a meeting area."

 Aloth looked up at her from where he was crouched by the altar, a smirk clearly visible on his lips. "Or perhaps _you_ need to get better at searching."

 Ariela let out a gasp, mock indignation flashing across her face, though not quite disguising her smile. "Such _slander_ , Corfiser! And whose searching was it that found us a secret coded letter back at the last town? Clearly it couldn't have been _me_ , if I'm such a poor searcher!"

 "Hmm, well I suppose that is true." He flicked his hand against something on the underside of the altar, and Ariela raised her brows in surprise at the sound of grinding stone echoing throughout the room. A triumphant grin worked it's way across Aloth's face as a portion of the back wall lowered down into the ground, revealing a poorly lit stone staircase beyond, and it took all of the willpower Ariela had not to think about how it might feel to have those beautiful lips against her own. "But which one of us was it that found the secret passageway?"

 "Pride is a good look on you, you know." Ariela remarked, holding out a hand to help him pull himself upright once again. _The blushing is too_ , she thought, as she watched a splash of pink begin to form across his cheeks, but she kept that thought to herself. "You should try it out more often. You have me here to ground you, after all, if it ever seems like it starts going to your head."

 "That's quite alright, Ariela. I have managed to live for over sixty years without the need for excessive pride. I see no reason to start now." Aloth began to move for the newly revealed corridor, and it suddenly occurred to Ariela that he had not let go of her hand after she had helped him to his feet. 

 She fell into step beside him, her mind completely focused on the feeling of his hand still wrapped around hers. Did he realise? Was it intentional? Should she say something to him about it, or would that only embarrass him? Should she just let go? Was it wrong of her to bask in this, and enjoy the sensation of his skin against hers? She knew that there was no way that he shared the feelings she had towards him- and that was alright- but in this brief moment, she could imagine what that might be like, and it both filled her heart with joy and left it aching bitterly, all at once.

 "Are you alright, Ariela?" Aloth's voice snapped her back to reality, and she found him stopped in front of her, just short of the top of the stone staircase leading down to a subterranean level of the structure, with a concerned expression clear on his face.

 "Oh, um, yes. Sorry, darling; just thinking."

 She felt him squeeze her hand, and then let go, and he cleared his throat as he turned back to face the stairs ahead. "Well, as long as you're alright."

 "Of course." Her hand suddenly felt cold and lonely without his wrapped around it, and she tucked it into the pocket of her skirt, suddenly unsure of what she normally did with her hands. This was for the best, she told herself, as she watched her friend descend the stairs in front of her. She had been far too distracted when he had been touching her, and she needed to keep her wits about her. 

 Who knew what they would find below.


	11. Bad Atmosphere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aloth and Ariela make an unpleasant discovery as they delve deeper into the Engwithan Ruins. Ariela has a bad feeling. Aloth wants to hold her.

 He could hear it long before they were able to see it; the humming of machinery, loud and ancient and _there_ , filling every inch of the subterranean level that the secret passageway had led them to, and causing a wave of trepidation to wash over him as they moved ever closer towards the noise.

 They moved along the cool stone corridor together, their pace slow, both so as to avoid the detection of anyone who might lay ahead, and because the lighting here was poor, and the floor uneven. Ariela, who had been lingering a little behind as they first descended the staircase, moved into step beside him once again, her soft fingers brushing against his arm as she did so. Glancing in her direction, he found the sunny smile that she had been wearing upstairs in the temple room completely gone, her beautiful, kind features instead contorted into an expression of deep concern. Seeming to realise that she had caught his attention, she turned her face towards him, big green eyes full of concern as she leaned in close, her voice barely above a whisper.

 "Can you feel that? That... _dread_?" She cast her gaze slowly about the bare corridor, though what it was that she was looking for, he could not be entirely certain. "There's no-one here, that I can sense. Only the guards above. And yet... it's all around. Latent emotion hanging in the air, almost overwhelming to the senses."

 "I, um..." Aloth paused for a moment, his mouth suddenly very dry, which he was completely confident was in no way connected to the way that worry had begun to flood his veins at the very moment that he had realised that his normally very chirpy friend was not entirely feeling herself. "I am sure that everything will be alright, Ariela." Forcing a smile, he reached out for her hand, giving it a supportive squeeze, as though that were the most natural thing in the world. "There's no need to worry."

 "Aloth, something terrible happened here." Ariela chewed nervously on her lower lip, and he squeezed her hand again, harder this time, some part of him just wanting to pull her close and hold her tight, despite how inappropriate that might be. In any other situation, he would have taken a moment to reflect on why he was feeling the way that he was about her, and attempt to calm himself down and tame his impulses, but then they began to near the end of the hallway, where a stone archway led to a wide chamber beyond, and it occurred to him that such things would have to wait. 

 He could see shifting light ahead, the hum of machinery now loud enough that they would have to raise their voices to be heard, and he felt Ariela's grip on him tighten to a desperate grasp, as if too loose a hold on him might end in tragedy. Trying to balance out his friend's clear unease, he attempted to project the appearance of one who was completely calm as he led the way into the large chamber, brushing a thumb as soothingly as he could back and forth against the hand that Ariela had linked in his. "I'm certain that there is nothing to be concerned about, Ari. It's just..."

 Stepping through the archway, he turned to face in the direction of whatever was projecting the light that filled the room, coming face to face with-

 "A terrifying looking Engwithan Machine?" Ariela helpfully finished, letting out a long sigh as her eyes took in the sight of it. "One that is not only apparently still functional, but seems to actually be _active_  in some way?"

 "Yes. _Well_." Aloth's mind began to race as he recalled the numerous machines just like the one before him that they had encountered during their travels with the Watcher back in the Dyrwood. Not one of them had been used for anything good. And that fact, paired with Ariela's insistence that she could sense something bad in the atmosphere... "Perhaps we might allow ourselves to be a little concerned."

  _Aye, Lad. Dae ye reckon so?_

Ariela swallowed heavily beside him, and then slowly began to extract her hand from his. He relaxed his grip, allowing her to free herself, only for him to reach out and desperately grab her once again, as she began to move towards the machine. 

 "Ari!" He caught sight of the shock that flashed across her face as he jerked her back towards him, and all of a sudden he became aware of himself. He released her once more in a hurry, holding up his hands briefly as if to prove to her that he was no longer holding her, before bunching them into his skirt, so that he would not easily be able to grab at her again. "I... I am very sorry, Ariela. I don't entirely know what came over me. I just... it's dangerous. We don't even know what that machine  _does_ ; I'm not certain that you should be getting too close to it."

 "I know. It's alright." Ariela began to reach out towards him, and then seemed to think better of herself, dropping her hand down by her side, and directing her attention back towards the machine. "But whatever that thing does, I can guarantee that it's something bad. And we can't hope to stop it if we don't at least investigate." 

 "That... is very true." Letting out a breath that he hadn't even realised that he had been holding, Aloth conceded to her. "Perhaps it would have helped if either of us had thought to try to learn Engwithan from the Watcher." 

"Or had even just paid attention to which symbols indicated 'deactivate'." Ariela smiled slightly as she agreed. "Shame on us for not thinking to learn a dead language, frankly!" 

 Ariela moved closer, identifying a control panel and peering down at it intently, as if doing so might help her to miraculously gain the knowledge that they would need to work such a machine. After a few moments, he joined her, staring down at the foreign symbols beside each button and lever; wishing that even one of them might appear familiar. But it was no use. Other than the Leaden Key- who had presumably activated it at some stage- anyone who might know how to work the thing was now long gone, their stories lost to time.

 Wait.

 "Ariela, can't you read things from objects? Memories... or something like them? You did it before, back in the Dyrwood, to help Eder uncover knowledge of his brother's movements years prior."

 "I can sometimes glean things from an object with a strong emotional aura, yes. But it's not like reading an operation manual, Darling." Ariela frowned, but the way that her eyes darted back and forth between the machine before them and him, told him that she was considering his words. "And you _do_ remember the part where I said that something terrible happened here, yes? Because I _can_ repeat that if you've forgotten already."

 "If you think that it's a bad idea, then we can search for another way. The Leaden Key must have some method of passing along that knowledge that we can track down in time, and I really would rather that you didn't do anything too dangerous..."

 A dubious expression still hung over Ariela's face, and yet she reached out towards the machine before he had even had time to finish his sentence. She brushed her fingers against the metal surface of the control panel, closing her eyes, and he saw that same faint pink glow, that he had noticed for the first time as they moved unseen past the guards outside, begin to surround her once again as her cipher powers activated. A moment passed in silence, and then another, and another, until Ariela's serene, concentrated expression began to shift and twist as worry and fear worked its way across her features.

 "Ariela?" His hands reached out towards her, but stopped just shy of actually touching her, panic beginning to rise inside of him as he tried to determine the best course of action. "Ari?"

 The only response that came from his friend was a frightened whimper, her eyes squeezed tight shut, fingernails scraping the metal of the machine as she clenched her hands against the control panel. She was biting into her lower lip so hard that he was afraid she might draw blood, the pale pink glow of her powers lighting up the anguish on her face.

_Wake her up!_

"I don't know _how_!"

 Tears began to stream down Ariela's cheeks, and as a low wail began emerge from her lips, he felt his body move forward without him commanding it to; Iselmyr apparently having decided that now was the time to act. She pulled Ariela backwards, severing her physical connection to the machine, and he noticed the glow that surrounded her begin to dim in response, though Ariela herself collapsed into a fit of tears, falling limply to the ground the moment that he let go of her. 

 He wanted to hold her. He _was going to_ hold her. It hardly mattered whether it was appropriate behaviour right now. She was distressed, and he wanted to help her. _Needed_ to help her. "It's alright, Ariela. It's going to be alright."

 "I really don't think that it is."

 Aloth stopped dead in his tracks, halfway towards reaching out for Ariela's collapsed, sobbing form, as he heard the male voice respond to him. Turning slowly towards the archway behind him, he already knew what he was going to find, and yet the sight filled him with dread all the same. 

 The two guards from the entranceway upstairs; blocking their only route out, their weapons drawn.


	12. From Bad to Worse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Ariela out of commission, Aloth and Iselmyr face off against the Leaden Key guards alone.

 It felt almost as if time had stopped, and yet it was moving all too quickly as Aloth carefully pulled himself to his feet, turning to properly face the guards that had somehow managed to track them down at, quite frankly, the worst possible time. Ariela was still unresponsive, and all he could hear were the sounds of her quiet crying behind him and the rapid beating of his own heart, as his mind whirred, trying to piece together a plan in the brief seconds that it took for him to stand. 

 There was no way that it was going to work, he knew, but he did his best to present the Leaden Key members with an easy smile regardless, refusing to show any hint of the hesitation that he was feeling on his face as he spoke. "I don't suppose that there's any way that I can convince you that this was all just some big misunderstanding?" 

 The one who had previously spoken rushed suddenly towards him, and Aloth planted his feet, summoning up an arcane shield around him as he took up a position directly between the two guards and Ariela. It wasn't that he necessarily expected them to target her, in fact, he rather assumed that they wouldn't, considering the state that she was in. But all the same, he wanted to be sure that he was in a position to protect her should he need to. "No? Well, I rather suspected not."

 The guard swung towards him with their shortsword, and he felt Iselmyr react, lashing out with his off-hand to knock his attacker backwards before their blade was able to hit him. Fishing out his grimoire from his robes, he had already begun the next incantation before he even managed to find its place amongst his pages, his familiarity with the spell helping to enhance his reflexes.

 A blast of magical energy emerged from the very book itself, an invisible wave of force crashing outwards, slamming into the two guards, stumbling them, and leaving them temporarily dazed.

 "Ariela?" Glancing back over his shoulder, he found his friend's condition unchanged, the woman still curled up on herself, shaking slightly as sobs wracked through her body. "Ari, we need to go. I need you to-"

  _Are ye gonny pay attention?_

Aloth jerked his head back around just in time to find that one of the guards had shaken their stupor, swinging their scimitar in a wide arc, and shattering the shield that he had conjured about himself, the weapon heading straight for his torso. He dodged off to the side instinctively, moving out of the way of the blow, and then cursed himself as he realised that he had moved away from Ariela. 

 Quickly flipping to the next page of his grimoire, he murmured a few words, and a feeling not unlike static electricity began to build at the ends of his finger tips as he reached out towards his attacker. They dodged out of his reach as he released the charge, the lightning uselessly dissipating into the air before him, and then moved back into position. Grabbing at his wrist before he could react, they wrenched his hand upwards until it bent at an unnatural angle. Pain coursed through his body as he felt something snap, and then all of a sudden he felt himself drifting away from the scene as Iselmyr pushed her way to the forefront.

 He was dimly aware of the grimoire falling from his hand, and of Iselmyr's shouts as she fought back against the Leaden Key member, pulling his injured hand back from their grasp and breaking their nose in the process. She pushed them backwards, knocking them off of their feet, but her victorious cry was cut short as the other guard charged in from behind.

 Her surprise gave him the opportunity to take back control, everything suddenly snapping back into focus around him as his body slammed into the ground, his head smacking hard against the floor and sending bursts of colour across his vision. He reached across for his grimoire, but all he grabbed was air, the leather tome laying just out of his reach, and his breath caught in his throat as his attacker loomed over him.

 "Ariela." Her name escaped his lips, barely more than a whisper as he watched the guard's shortsword swinging down towards him, and he squeezed his eyes tight shut, bracing for the inevitable pain. 

 Even he himself was unsure of why he spoke her name. Was it was a plea for help, he wondered, or concern over her well-being as it had occurred to him that she would likely be their next target? ...Or had it merely been a self-indulgent move? A desire, perhaps, to have his dearest friend on his mind in what he expected to be his final moment?

 This mystery lingered in his mind, as a moment passed. 

 And then another. 

 And another.

 Slowly opening his eyes once more, he found his would-be killer pulling their sword back away from him, and instead turning to advance upon their ally, driving the blade into their torso without hesitation, before they were able to pull themselves back to their feet. He turned his head off to the side, and found Ariela, slowly dragging herself up from the ground, braced against the control panel of the machine. She looked worse for wear; tear-stains streaking her cheeks, eyes not quite focused, though it was clear that her attention was fixed intently on the guard who had almost run him through. A trickle of blood ran from her nose, but even so, when she caught him looking her way she mustered a small smile just for him.

 Buoyed by her apparent recovery, he rose to his feet, forgetting his pain for the moment, as he snatched up his grimoire and finished off the remaining guard with a final spell, only tucking his spellbook back into his robes once he had confirmed that both of the Leaden Key members were dead.

 Everything had gone so horribly wrong so very quickly, and yet he couldn't stop the wide smile that began to spread across his face. And, as he turned to face his friend, he didn't even attempt to hide it.  Ariela was alright, and everything else would be as well.

 "I have to admit, you had me worried for a mo-"

 Aloth's joy turned turned quickly to horror as he watched his friend's legs give way, her eyes rolling back into her head as she crumpled into unconsciousness.

 Perhaps he was wrong. Everything was _not_ alright.


	13. Awake Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally escaping from the overwhelming visions that overtook her mind, Ariela awakens, and is eager to get back to their mission. Aloth is more concerned.

 Terror and agony were all that she could feel. 

 Not her own, of course- though she had to admit to having experienced a certain level of trepidation as well. Rather, Ariela had found herself becoming quickly overwhelmed by the latent emotion that the place around her had gathered over its many years.

  The very moment that she had touched the Engwithan machine, attempting to channel her cipher abilities to see what she might glean from it, it was already too late. The visions that were revealed to her were far too traumatic, far too _numerous_ , for her to process. Every single one fed and informed that heavy feeling that hung in the air; amplifying that discomfort- that _dread_ - which had plagued her ever since they had descended to investigate the hidden floor.

 Visions flashed through her mind, and with each one she found that she was better able to understand that bad atmosphere in the space around her. But as that understanding grew, so too did the lines between that feeling and her own emotions begin to blur, until she was no longer able to separate her own experiences from those to which she was bearing witness, and the devastation of those long gone had begun consume her whole.

 She did not remember where she was or how she had come to be experiencing these visions. Was not aware of the sobs and wails that emerged from her lips as she stood there trance-like, nor of Aloth's panic, or of Iselmyr wrenching her away from the machine in the hopes of bringing her back to them. 

 She was not conscious of her body collapsing to the floor, still sobbing fiercely, or of the Leaden Key guards as they arrived in the doorway to the room that they were in. Her mind was far too fried to register the fight that broke out immediately afterwards.

 All that she knew was tears; pain and fear and _horror_ , forgetting everything else, forgetting even  _who she was_ , until...

 "Ariela." 

 The word cut straight through the visions that she was experiencing, silencing and stilling the assault on her mind in an instant. It was Aloth's voice, she registered dimly. _Aloth_. Her dearest friend, the man she loved. 

 And he sounded afraid.

 

\--

 

 "Aloth?!" 

 Ariela awoke with a yell, eyes darting around wildly until they fell onto her friend, who jumped in surprise, almost dropping his pen in the process. He was seated at a writing desk, his dark hair loose and falling over his face, looking far messier than she had ever seen it. He turned to face her quickly, revealing tired eyes that briefly widened as they fell onto her.

 "Ari?"

 She tried to rise to move towards him, but her head was too heavy, and raising it only a few inches flooded her body with pain and sent her tumbling back down to where she had started.

 "Careful." Aloth chided softly, and she watched him set down his pen and move across the room towards her. "You hit your head, you need to rest."

 She tried to recall, but everything was a blur. She remembered entering the ruins, sneaking past the guards, finding a hidden floor that housed... an Engwithan machine? Yes. She'd reached out, tried to cipher read it, and then...? ...And then she wasn't so sure. All that she could bring to mind were emotions: pain, fear, confusion. Flashes of horrible visions; of seeing people that she had never even met experiencing their last moments in this life.

 She took a deep breath, wiping a stray tear from her eye, and then tried again. What had happened after the machine? She remembered...? She remembered the sound of sobbing- her own, she thought- and of fighting. Of Aloth calling out her name. She remembered blurry visions of chaos viewed through tear-filled eyes. Remembered a guard standing over her friend.

 "Are you alright!?" She blurted, suddenly, snapping back to the present in a panic. "What happened, where are we!?"

 "We're back at the inn. And I am fine."

 "The Leaden Key...?"

 "...Are not our most immediate concern." Aloth informed slowly, eyes softening as they fixed onto her, and she was dimly aware of him reaching out to brush his fingers through her hair. Before she was able to process what that might mean, he spoke again. "I tended to you as best as I could, but I am not a healer. It could be in our best interest to head to the nearest city, and have you looked over by a professional."

 "But what about-"

 "It's been almost _two days_ , Ariela." There was a sharpness to his voice as he cut her off that he clearly regretted, and she saw him grimace the very moment that he had finished speaking.

 "It's.... what?" 

 "The day at the ruins, when you got hurt. That was the day before yesterday."

 "I've been unconscious all that time?"

 "Not... exactly." Aloth began, and then his face twisted, as Iselmyr emerged with a wicked grin. "Aye, ye woke a few times, but ye were barmier than- _Iselmyr_." Aloth flashed her an apologetic look, and then took a moment to find the words that he wanted to use. "You did wake already. More than once, in fact, but you weren't exactly... coherent."

 "I'm sorry." 

 Aloth smiled, still working his fingers through her hair. "No, Ariela. There's nothing for you to be sorry for."

 "I tried to read the machine. An ancient, _terrifying_ machine. It was impulsive and reckless, and I should have known better." She flashed him what she hoped was a reassuring smile, but considering that she could not even manage to raise her own head, she was not entirely certain that it properly came across. "I think that it might have overloaded my brain a little. I didn't mean to cause you any worry, darling."

 "I know."

 "Good. Now what have I missed? Are The Leaden Key..." She trailed off as he shook his head slowly at her.

 "Please just focus on getting better, Ariela. _That_ is the most important thing for us to concern ourselves with right now."

 "No it isn't." Her voice must have come out more forcefully than she had intended, as Aloth paused his movements through her hair, pulling back his hand as though she had scolded him. But she continued on all the same, feeling emotion building like a pressure inside of her that might cause her to burst at any moment. "I saw what happened there. What they've been doing to people, for... for far too long. We have to stop them. _We have to do something_." 

 Reaching out, she took hold of each of his hands, squeezing them tightly in her own, and then instantly released one as she caught a wince of pain flash across his face and realised that it was wrapped with a bandage. She would be sure to ask about that later, she vowed, and determine that he was not too seriously injured, but right now there were more important things to dwell on.

 "Aloth, they're ripping out people's souls."


	14. Rest and Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aloth and Ariela can't seem to reach a consensus on how to proceed now that Ariela is on the mend again. Aloth writes to an old friend. Ariela wants some bread.

 Ariela could barely keep herself sitting upright, and yet it took everything that Aloth had to convince her to continue resting. Whatever had happened to her back in the ruins had been... _bad_. Since she had awoken, she had been filled with an energy unlike anything he had experienced from her before. She was almost frantic, desperately trying to get up out of the bed, repeating every few minutes that they had to _do something_. 

 But Aloth had been here, had been left alone, watching over her as she drifted in and out of consciousness over the last couple of days. The moments in which she had been awake, she had been barely coherent; sobbing and mumbling, crying and yelling. It had been... distressing. To see her that way. To know that no amount of his soothing was able to calm her down or heal her from whatever it was that had ailed her. 

 It had been so distressing, in fact, that he had felt that he had no choice but to admit that they were in over their heads. 

 Ariela was only there because of him, after all. She had been doing her own thing until they had happened to meet those few months before, and whilst he had been glad to have had her company, he couldn't help but wonder if she might have been safer if she had never offered to join him on this journey. She was only in the situation that she was because of him. Because he had put the idea into her mind to attempt to do something incredibly dangerous. This whole thing had been his fault, and he did not know how to fix it alone.

 And so he had decided to seek out help.

 He had been halfway through writing a letter to The Watcher when Ariela had awoken, explaining the situation and asking for any aid that they were able to provide. And even now that Ariela was lucid and begging him to help her to act quickly, he couldn't help but wonder if that might still be their best course of action. To send off the letter, and to keep their heads down until The Watcher was able to join them. 

 "I'm sorry if I frightened you." 

 Aloth was shaken from his thoughts by the soft voice of his friend, which cut through the silence that had settled between them. It was late in the afternoon, and despite Ariela's wishes otherwise, they had remained in their room in the inn throughout the day. Ari was propped up in her bed, pillows wedged between her body and the headboard to keep her comfortable, a notebook laid open across her lap that she had been periodically scribbling in throughout the day.

 She looked across at him with big, soft eyes, and he brushed a hand through his hair, pushing it back from his face to properly regard her as he turned his attention away from the letter that he had been finishing off. 

 "I don't know how I've been acting since that day in the ruins; I honestly don't remember waking until now. But I think that I may have been a little... intense this morning."

 "Perhaps somewhat, yes."

 "I'm sorry for that. I've apparently been spending days trying to sort through the memories that I read from that machine. Hundreds of years of frightened people dying. Having their souls removed, and their bodies turned to ash, and..." She took a deep breath, and Aloth thought that he saw her fighting back tears for a moment. "I just... I don't want that to happen to anybody else. I felt those people's fear, and I don't want anyone else to have to experience that ever again."

 "I know, Ari. I know that you only want to help others, and I truly admire that about you. But I think that right now you can only do that if you first take some time to help yourself."

 She pulled her eyes away from his, staring sadly downwards at nothing in particular. "I know. But I've never been very good at putting my own needs before other people's." Something seemed to suddenly occur to her, and she brought her gaze back up quickly, wincing slightly and bringing up a hand to her bandaged head as though she'd moved too sharply, before a smile brightened her face. "Thank you."

 Seeing her smile- the first time that he had witnessed it in days- made him feel suddenly lighter, as if the warmth of her joy had burned away some of his worry. He set the letter off to one side, and found himself moving closer, as if drawn towards her automatically. He set himself down on the edge of her bed, unsure as to why he had even crossed to her, but glad to be closer all the same. "Thank you... for what?"

 "For looking after me, darling." Ariela smiled, and he felt her fingers brush against his where they rested on her bed, as though she were contemplating whether or not to take his hand. As soon as he became aware of the sensation, however, she pulled her hand back, a slight frown on her face that made him wonder whether she had even been aware of what she was doing until that very moment.

  _Fye, yer both as bad as each other._

 Aloth didn't really have much of an opportunity to consider Iselmyr's words, odd as they were, before Ariela spoke again: "Would you mind if we go get some bread?" 

 

\--

 

 Even just walking about seemed to be taking a lot out of her, Ariela noted, though she pointedly did not mention this to Aloth as they made their way through the town towards the marketplace that they had passed through the last time that she had been conscious. Her head was heavy, and her legs stiff from well over a day of being unused. She clung to Aloth's arm as they walked, half convinced that he was the only thing that was keeping her upright at all, all the while focusing her attention onto her psionics, and projecting an image out to the others that they passed; one of herself, looking much more well than she suspected that she actually did. 

 The image of her that the townsfolk saw was smiling brightly, walking without struggling, had no thick bandage wrapped around her head. Such a task had become almost trivial to her, after months of practicing her disappearing act and testing out some of the limitations of her abilities, and yet after only a few minutes' time it was already beginning to wear her out, and by the time that they reached the small market stall belonging to the mother of the young girl that she had spoken to the last time that she had ventured into town, Ariela could feel the beginnings of a headache in the back of her mind.

 "Ari!" An excited young voice rang out through the marketplace, and Ariela saw the figure of Amelia, tugging on the sleeve of a red haired human woman, before gesturing happily in her direction. "Ma, that's the lady I told you about! The one with the cookies and the pretty dress!" 

 Amelia's mother fixed her with a friendly smile that Ariela attempted to match, as she and Aloth closed the distance to the little bread stall in one corner of the bustling marketplace. "Amelia mentioned that she had met some travellers. She was very concerned when you didn't call by sooner."

 "Oh, I'm sorry, darling, I did honestly intend to come and find you. I'm afraid that I... haven't been feeling myself the last couple of days." 

 "Ariela fell a little ill." Aloth provided, squeezing her arm affectionately and flashing the woman an easy smile that she noticed didn't quite reach his eyes. "She has had to spend the last day or two in bed. We didn't even manage to finish our tour of the town that morning."

 "Yes." Ariela nodded. "But Aloth's been taking very good care of me, and I'm feeling a lot better now. I thought that some of your bread might improve my spirits. Amelia mentioned that it was very good." She flashed the young girl a quick wink, noticing that she was looking a little concerned, and bringing a wide smile back to her face.

 "Yeah, Ma's bread's the best in town!"

 The girl's mother chuckled, ruffling her daughter's hair. "Well, there you have it. Pick out whatever you'd like; I'm sure I can sort you out a discount, on account of you having not been so well."

  

 

 By the time that they made it back to the inn, Ariela's head was pounding. She dropped the illusion that she had been maintaining the moment that they stepped into the corridor leading to their room, and headed straight towards her bed the very second that she passed through the doorway, dropping down on top of the covers, still fully dressed, and closing her eyes tightly, as though doing so might be able to will the pain away. She felt Aloth move towards her, and then hover awkwardly beside the bed for a few moments, before finally settling down on the edge of the mattress beside her.

 "How are you feeling?" He queried, softly, and she felt gentle fingers begin to untie her hair.

 "Tired."

 "You didn't need to use your cipher abilities."

 "Yes, I did." Ariela replied, simply, rolling onto her side and reluctantly opening her eyes to regard him. She regretted it almost immediately; the light of the early evening, dim as it was, still enough to make her head spin. "I have to get back into the habit of using them. If I can't even maintain a simple illusion, then how am I supposed to protect us?"

 "Ariela, you don't need to protect us." She could tell that she was frustrating Aloth with her persistence, but as much as she dearly did not want to annoy her friend, she knew that there were things far more important than either of them going on in this town. "All you need to do is focus on getting better. I... I have written a letter to The Watcher. I think that perhaps we should just keep our heads down, and wait for-"

 " _Aloth_. Darling, I know that you're concerned about me. And I know that you have good reason to be. But what I saw..."

 "Frightened you." Aloth finished for her, and then let out a long sigh. When he continued, he was much quieter. "I understand. But you must understand that what _I_ saw frightened _me_ as well. I don't ever want to see you like that again."

 "I... I know. And I know that you're probably right. Neither of us knows how to work that machine, and we have no idea how many members of The Leaden Key are even present in town. There's a good chance that they outnumber us significantly." Ariela brought up a hand to block some of the light from reaching her eyes, resisting the urge to throw up as the pain throbbed violently in her head. "I'm sorry, Darling, but I'm really not feeling so well. Would it be alright if we saved this argument for after I've rested?"

 "Of course." Aloth's voice was tender as he replied, and Ariela felt him pulling up the blanket from the bottom of her bed to cover her as she twisted around to bury her face in the pillow. "Though I'd prefer that it weren't an argument. Sleep well, Ari. We'll talk in the morning."

 

\--

 

 The sound of a woman's screams pulled Aloth from his slumber, and for one very horrible moment, he feared that the day that he had spent with a lucid and mostly recovered Ariela had all just been a figment of his imagination, and that she was still caught in whatever trance had befallen her that day in the Engwithan Ruins.

 But as he slowly came into consciousness, it occurred to him that it was not Ariela who was screaming. The noise, in fact, seemed to be coming from outside; somewhere further into the town, and as his eyes swept the room he saw that his friend had also been woken by the commotion. She stood by the window, bathed in the pale moonlight that was spilling into the room, wearing a long nightdress and an extremely concerned expression that only seemed to intensify when she realised that he was awake.

 Her eyes fell onto his, and she held his gaze in complete silence, for what surely could have been no longer than a moment, and yet seemed to Aloth to stretch on for an eternity.

 And then she was moving. Snatching up her pistol from beside her bed, and rushing for the door, without so much as pausing to put on a cloak or some shoes.

 "I'm sorry, Aloth." Were Ariela's parting words, as she disappeared out of the room faster than he was even able to pull himself out of his bed, let alone try to figure out how to stop her. "But I can't let them do it again."


	15. Nighttime Drama

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ariela and Aloth take a stand against a group of Leaden Key to defend some innocents. Ariela acts on instinct. Aloth doesn't want to see his friend hurt again.

 Ariela didn't have a plan.

 Until quite recently, she had always tried to have a plan. She would think things through, choose her words and actions as carefully as she could; try to find the best outcome for everybody involved. But she had to admit that recently she had been acting rather impulsively. Breaking into ruins, trying to cipher-read ancient machines, running out into the night towards danger in nothing but her nightdress...

 Well, Nanny _had_ always said that she went a little overboard when she was trying to impress someone that she liked.

 She sprinted through the streets towards the sound of commotion, the hard stone path biting into her bare feet, piercing through the skin and coating the soles in a thin layer of blood. Cutting through the marketplace where she and Aloth had bought bread earlier in the day, she neared the source of the shouting and screaming, and began to focus on her psionics, readying herself to project an image of someone who was far more prepared for combat than she actually was, to whomever she might encounter.

 Rounding a corner into a small residential area, Ariela emerged straight into chaos. Four robed figures, all visibly armed, flanked the street; two standing either side of a gathering of individuals, as if to block any attempt of escape. The group itself was made of another two of these figures, one who was restraining a young girl- human, with dark hair, who was fighting and kicking at her captor in an attempt to break free- and another who stood a little bit in front of their companion, staring down at a screaming and sobbing adult woman in nightclothes, who was begging them to release her child, their masked face beneath the hood showing no hint of any emotions.

 Ariela didn't have time to plan, so instead she just acted. Rushing forwards, she forced her way into the minds of the two figures closest to her, commanding them to move, allowing her access to the very centre of the commotion. She grabbed the woman's arm, tugging her back a few steps and placing herself firmly between her and the Leaden Key member, pulling up the gun in her hand in one fluid motion and aiming it directly at their face. Satisfied that they were going nowhere without getting shot, she turned her attention quickly to the figure behind, assaulting their mind and forcing them let go of the girl as they doubled over in pain.

 "Amelia, get behind me." She instructed, fixing the figure in front of her with as fierce a look as she could muster. "Go to your mother."

 

\--

 

 For the briefest of moments, Aloth saw what everybody else was seeing; Ariela, fully armored, pistol aimed steadily at one of the robed figures, her face a picture of righteous fury. 

 And then the illusion slipped away; his familiarity with Ariela's abilities and his own willpower allowing his mind to cut a path through to the reality before him. Ariela stood firmly against the Leaden Key, firearm extended, as the mother and daughter from town that they had conversed with earlier in the day hid behind her, practically clinging to her with tears rolling down their faces. But her feet were bare and bleeding, and she wore naught but a thin nightdress upon her body. Her face was twisted in anger, but she shivered ever-so-slightly in the cool night air, and he found that he wanted nothing more than to cross to her and wrap her in his cloak and arms.

 From his position, he could see that he was not the only one observing the night's drama. A number of the residents of the street looked on from their windows, concern clear on their faces as they observed the group of hooded figures. He could see fear in their expressions as well, and he suspected that it was likely that fear that was preventing them from intervening and defending their neighbour. Letting out a quiet sigh, he moved forwards, stepping past the frightened townspeople to take up a position by Ariela's side. Perhaps if they were to make an impression, they might be able to convince some of the others to take a stand alongside them.

 Surely they would not last long on their own.

  _Fye, speak for yerself, Lad. I dinnae plan tae let these hooded fyndes get the better o' me!_

He bit back a response as Iselmyr's voice echoed through his mind, instead drawing the scepter at his side, and thinking happy thoughts on the off-chance that Ariela might be listening in.

 "Leave these people alone." Ariela demanded from beside him, and he was sure that for the briefest of moments, he felt her free hand brush against his, as if seeking out- or perhaps providing- reassurance. "You _will not_ harm another person here."

 The one that she was aiming the pistol at cocked their head to one side, and though their expression was completely hidden by the mask, Aloth thought that they seemed almost bemused. "I don't think that you know who you're dealing with, girl."

 "Oh, I know fine well who I'm dealing with, Darling, and I'm not in the least bit impressed by your little cult." Ariela's voice was cold, and he suddenly found himself missing the warmth of her smile. Her eyes were narrowed with hatred as she continued to spit out words in the robed figure's direction. "Your Grandmaster is long dead, and your Goddess could not care less about your lives or your oaths if she tried. So I suggest that you walk away and leave town. _Right now_. Unless you would prefer to die."

 "Yes," Aloth agreed, attempting to match Ariela's demeanor as closely as he could, and silently promising Iselmyr that if things went south, she could take over, so long as she protected his friend. "Wouldn't you prefer to leave with your life? Any sensible person would, surely!"

 The figure straightened their head, and there was a long pause, as if they were trying to figure out just exactly how much these two newcomers could possibly know, and how much of a threat they might actually pose. And then they chuckled. "You know, you talk big for people who are outnumbered three to one."

 Their words had no time to linger in the air, as the very second that they finished speaking, two of the robed figures drew their weapons and rounded on their comrades, the telltale pink glow of Ariela's influence clouding their eyes. 

 "I think that you may have miscounted." Ariela informed coolly, though for all her confidence, Aloth saw a little blood trickle from her nose. She had already made herself ill once today from overuse of her abilities, he couldn't imagine that she had much left in her. "Would you like to revise your position before I have you all kill one another?"

 The figure took a step towards Ariela, and Aloth moved forwards instinctively. Not putting himself in front of her, or blocking her shot, but certainly preparing himself to grab for them if they made to hurt her. He could not bear to see the woman take any more injuries.

 And then suddenly somebody was beside him, and another beside them. And then another, and another. The residents from the nearby houses, he realised; having filed out of their homes, one by one, now beginning to step up on either side of them and forming a wall of bodies between The Leaden Key and the mother and daughter. Most were still in their nightclothes, though some had pulled on simple armours or thick leather tunics, and almost all of them were armed, with clubs or spades or kitchen knives, or whatever else they might have had on hand.

 "I think the nice Lady has the right of it." A man's voice in the crowd spoke up. "I really think you oughtta leave." 


End file.
